Brought to you by Mr. Cheer or Die and the Vikes Geek, welcome to the
Views and Personal Photos on the Vikes from the Inaugural Hall of Fame fan.
Brought to you by Mr. Cheer or Die and the Vikes Geek, welcome to theHey! We tried for well over a week to get a Seahawks fans to come on for a VU podcast but we did not get as much as a returned e-mail or telephone call. The original intent was to have this podcast be a debate between a 'Hawks fan and our very own Mr. Steeler. In the end, I gave up and we have VU Podcast Forty-Three with Harvey "Mr. Steeler" Aronson going solo with me.
Mr. Steeler maintains his own Steelers site. A fellow HOF inductee, Mr. Steeler was Pittsburgh's winner of the 2001 Visa Hall of Fans Award, and inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 2002.
Join us for an astute podcast as we discuss the Steelers Super Bowl chances and point of view.
VU Fantasy Racing Reminder
I'm back to defend my 2005 NASCAR fantasy title. Want to try and bump me off my championship perch? Looking for a fantasy fix now that the NFL season is almost over? Look no further.
You have been officially invited to join my Private Group in Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Auto Racing.
In order to join the group, just go to the Yahoo game front page and click on the "Sign Up" button to create a team. After completing registration, or if you already have a team, click the "Create or Join Group" button and follow the path to join an existing private group. Then, when prompted, enter the following information...
Group ID#: 18716
Password: purple
For All You Tice Supporters
I have studied the stupidity of Mike Tice lo these many years, and I am ready to drop another example on you. Ol’ Pencil Ear, the newly named Jaguars assistant head coach, told Jacksonville radio station WOKV on Wednesday that he chatted with one of the Vikes16 free agents about leaving the team and coming to work for him. Tice declined to specify the player. The quote, from the boys over at KFFL was:
Jaguars | Tice expected to work with offensive line
Wed, 1 Feb 2006 19:53:24 -0800
Don Seeholzer, of the Pioneer Press, reports Jacksonville Jaguars assistant head coach Mike Tice is expected to spend a lot of time working with the team's offensive line and new offensive line coach Andy Heck. In an interview with Jacksonville radio station WOKV, Tice said he also talked with one of the Minnesota Vikings' 16 possible free agents about joining him in Jacksonville but declined to name the player.
The quandary is that, until free agency opens, these players remain the property of the Minnesota Vikings. Thus, Ol’ Pencil Ear has admitted to a tampering infringement.
Recall that Ol’ Pencil Ear admitted a year ago to the scalping of Super Bowl tickets, in barefaced breach of league rules. The Commissioner imposed a $100,000 fine against Tice for the crime.
Any day now, expect Zygi and Brad to file tampering charges against the man who was leading the team just a few months ago. I would like Zygi and Brad to call up Paul Tagliabue and basically say, "We'll take Jacksonville's first round draft choice and Mike Tice can just write a $100,000 check to the Minnesota Vikings Children's Fund and we'll call it even."
Any one still missing Tice? And just in case you are wondering who the sixteen free agents are:
Brian Williams - CB - UFA
Corey Chavous - S - UFA
Cory Withrow - C - UFA
Keith Newman - LB - UFA
Koren Robinson - WR - UFA
Lance Johnstone - DE - UFA
Melvin Fowler - C - UFA
Michael Bennett - RB - UFA
Moe Williams - RB - UFA
Nate Burleson - WR - RFA
Paul Edinger - PK - UFA
Ralph Brown - CB - UFA
Raonall Smith - LB - UFA
Sam Cowart - LB - UFA
Shaun Hill - QB - UFA
Toniu Fonoti - OG - UFA
Willie Offord - S - UFA
Who do you think Ol' Pencil was talking to? My guess is K-Rob. Yours?
It's gotta be Bennett.
Aside from Bruno's obvious case of manlove, the Jags get a chance to replace their fragile, temperamental, and oft-injured RB with a....
Never mind.
Posted by: Keyman at February 3, 2006 10:19 AMKROB good choice, but I think Brian Williams.
Posted by: lonnie at February 3, 2006 01:02 PMRemember the episode of "Coach" in which Luther got a head coaching job and was fired on the first day for breaking an NCAA rule by taking his team to a restaurant and paying for everyone's meal?
Maybe not perfectly, but it seems that life does imitate art.
Posted by: Jeff A at February 3, 2006 02:20 PMI also don't think it's K-Rob - The vikings have right of first refusal and TONS of cap room - unless of course they save it for a trade-up for Reggie Bush - Brian Williams is the only other keeper on the list.
Posted by: Fraser M at February 3, 2006 04:57 PMI think it is K Robinson. Tice gave him a break, and he appreciated it. It might be that KRob initiated the discussion before the season was over, thus it might not be tampering by an ex-coach contacting the free agent player.
Regardless, I think the league will not be able to do anything unless Tice made phone calls AFTER he got the Jax job. They'd need phone records, etc. and might want to avoid that kind of mess.
I also think it might be Tice messing with Tags' mind for the prior $100k fine. I might consider that if I were Tice. I find it a little more likely than someone who played in the league 14 years, and coached almost as many, to not know the rules, especially after being fined for the tix incident.
Summary: K.Rob made the call. Tags picks up his yellow flag and puts it back in his lapel pocket.
Definitely Koren Robinson. KROB is a forever grateful puppy at Tice's heels, and it's difficult to blame him.
Speaking of other teams drooling over our players, I've heard rumors that the Texans want Troy Williamson. Weren't they going to pick him last season before we surprised the NFL by taking him #7 overall? I certainly wouldn't mind going after Houston's #1 pick. Maybe we could get it for Williamson, our 17th overall pick, and another pick (probably 3rd round, maybe 2nd). Others are talking about acquiring RB Davis from Houston, but I don't think he's the answer. I still think Moore can become a Davis/Westbrook caliber back in a couple/few years. We need a power back.
Then the big question would be "what to do with a #1 pick?" My vote would be Leinart to learn under starter BBB, but that's just me. Culpepper might be good trade bait for Houston, too...
What do you fine folks think?
Posted by: Peter at February 6, 2006 09:59 AMIt is not Bennett. Although he was used more (and improperly) than he should have been, Tice showed no inclination toward him.
My bet is on Robinson.
Posted by: J. Lichty at February 6, 2006 12:25 PM