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 the
Back on January 19, many of you thought me a complete gibbering moron when I informed you that the Poutin' Quarterback the First was on the trading block.
Who's laughing now?
I had heard from The Insider who had passed along that information. I haven't heard from The Insider since and frankly I'm a little worried that he's been given some cement boots and is swimming from the fishes. So, if you are still out there Insider, let me know!
By now you've all read the story printed in Thursday's STrib that essentially confirmed that PQ the First was up for the highest bidder:
After turning down his request for a $10 million raise, the team seems prepared to part ways with its once-franchise quarterback.
It seems that everyone is pointing to a blurb printed over at Pro Football Talk in which it was stated:
Per a league source, the Vikings are contacting all of the teams perceived to be in the market for a quarterback in order to gauge interest for a trade. The initial asking price, per the source, is a second-round draft pick.
And as a side note, I have been exchanging e-mails with Mike Florio of PFT about being on a VU Podcast in the coming week. As of Thursday, Mike has agreed and the time just needs to be set.
But back to PQ the First. Certainly, "shopping" is defined much differently than "trading". But just the way that things have transpired indicates that discussions have taken place and things said in such a manner that the cord has been cut. Everyone knows it is awfully hard for bad feelings to be put back in the box and forgotten about.
So, keep watching for the black smoke in the upper corner of this blog which will signify a trade has taken place.
Coming Next Week
I will be traveling on business next week and I will be posting some photos (crap cam cell phone quallity) on the VU Moblog site. See if you can determine where I am at!
But I will still be posting some stuff before I leave. Come back Monday for a little inside information from Winter Park. Your feedback is wanted!
And VU Podcast Forty-Five will be available on Monday in which a few of the VU vets will be discussing the Best Moments in Vikings history.
Posted by maasx003 at February 17, 2006 01:46 AMDid anyone see the segment on culpepper on ESPN? They're predicting he will be a viking this season. Secondly, if he does get traded are we only going to get a second round pick for him? That sounds a bit weak even with his injury.
Posted by: Jeremy at February 17, 2006 08:35 AMYes, it seems that PQ the First is doing some damage control. He also released a statement yesterday via e-mail:
"I hope you understand that for now I am communicating through e-mail. I look forward to speaking to you when I am at Winter Park.
"The following is a short statement that I would appreciate you getting out to the fans of Minnesota.
"Because I am getting so many requests to comment about reported trade talks, I thought it would be smart to make a clear statement that hopefully won't be misinterpreted. I have found over the years that people with knowledge of the situation are usually the most ignorant and that 'anonymous sources' are usually synonymous with cowards who don't want to go on the record.
"My position has been and continues to be that I am focusing on rehabilitating my knee so I can come back and play the game I love at the highest level.
"Until I hear different from Mr. [Zygi] Wilf or the new 'triangle of authority' at the Vikings, I plan on playing quarterback for Minnesota.
"Trying to delve into speculations, innuendo, rumor or anything else of this nature would be a waste of energy. I choose at this time to spend my energy on getting healthy. Thank you for relaying this message to the public."
I dunno. I just see hard feelings all around. And notice that no one is denying the rumor.
Posted by: MrCheerOrDIe at February 17, 2006 08:48 AMI'm starting to think PQ#1 will be gone. It seems to me that too many bridges have been burned. As far as a second for him it just depends on what the Vikes plans are. If they take one of their seconds and package it with their first to move up for a player they have targeted it could be a good deal.
But we have to remember that both the offense and defensive schemes are changing. I would assume they are evaluating each player to see where they fit in the new schemes. So they could just trying to load up on picks.
Posted by: lonnie at February 17, 2006 08:53 AMIf we're ending the "Culpepper years", we better do better than a second rounder. I would rather pay him his bonus money and see what he brings to the table this season or mid season. Can he grasp the new system? Will he be as fluid as before? These questions need to be answered before we start bailing.
I don't want to sound like a broken record, but Culpepper is 7 games removed from an unbelievable MVP type season. Statistcaly, it was one of the top eight performances, by a qb, of all time. A large chunk of that season was without Moss. I truly believe that Culpepper would be held in higher regard, if my Vikes could have fielded anything that resemled a defense in his previous years.
Handing over the offense to Brad for a couple years to bring along a rookie will really be frustrating. Brads a good quarterback if you have a defense like the Bears. We don't. We will be a mediocre team. With PQ #1 we have a chance for greatness. With PQ#2 it's stale and boring.
Posted by: pa viking at February 17, 2006 02:30 PM