The Vikings had hoped to lure a DE to the snowy depths of Eden Prairie before the weekend was out. But the player never left his initial visit in San Francisco. ESPN.com now reports that end Justin Smith, formerly of the Bengals, will now play for the 49ers.

Perhaps Chilly, who angered a certain Pats coach last year in Waiver War I, is looking for some sort of revenge with the Niners for taking his coveted DE free agent. San Francisco kick return man Maurice Hicks is due at Winter Park for a visit that could occur as early as today.

John Clayton, who Sean Salisbury rudely dissed recently and as a result had his contract with ESPN trashed, is now reporting Randy Moss is starting to listen to offers from other teams. I know, it is not realistic to hope that the VIkings are one of those other teams but until he does sign with I can spit into the wind. Update: PFT is now speculating the Philly E-A-G-L-E-S Eagles-Eagles-Eagles may be making a run for The Freak.

Could the Vikes be thinking of further upgrading their defensive backfield by bottom-feeding off of Chilly's old team, the Eagles, once again? The Eagles have revised their web site to show Asante Samuel as the first-string left cornerback and Lito Sheppard as a second-string player. There are reports that the Eagles will try to trade Sheppard. The Vikes have extra picks. Hmmmm. (Click on cartoon for larger pop-up)

For those wishing to add to their Vikings wardrobe, check out the t-shirt at the Vikings store featuring Syd Davy of Canada, eh. If the t-shirt is again for sale, perhaps close, personal friend Randy Moss isn't far behind?

And just for humor sake, here is what some Jags fans are saying about their recent aquisition of Tro Williamson:

"Troy Williamson? hahahahahahahahaaa"

"uh, Williamson's problem is he can't CATCH. Garrard can't do anything about that. athleticism aside (yeah, he's fast), Williamson sucks. he can't catch, he can't block, his route-running is mediocre. and citing his draft position for a reason he's going to succeed is just foolish. being a "top ten draft pick for goodness sakes" by no means ensures your success in the NFL. i'm pretty sure there's been a top 10 bust or two (or 40) in the past. when you're getting benched for guys like Robert Ferguson and Billy McMullen....do i need to finish that sentence?"

"He couldn't catch these freaking passes...HE WAS WIDE OPEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's not Johnson/Jackson/Bollinger/Holcomb's fault...."

"Williamson has problems catching the ball. Unless he can rectify that problem quickly, it'll be hard for him to ever claim a spot on the lineup."

"Roddy White has more talent in a fingernail than Troy Williamson..."

Jersey Updates

Madieu Williams will be #21
Thomas Tapeh will be #44

Berrian Update

Bernard Berrian has been spotted wearing a Vikings cap and with a Vikings jersey in his arm as he emerged from the team’s weight room. That has to be a good sign, wouldn't you think? One thing for sure, he can't sing. Maybe with a huge pay day he can pay for some lessons.

Posted by briankeithmaas@msn.com at March 1, 2008 09:19 AM