Free Advice for Free Agency...

NFL's free agency officially kicks off tonight at midnight EST, and although the 2008 free agent class is somewhat thin as a result of the salary cap jumping up and teams resigning and franchising their own guys, there are still some players available that can turn the Purple into NFC contenders next season. Minnesota has approximately $30M to work with under the cap, ample room to vastly improve their roster. Without further adieu, I present my 2008 Minnesota Vikings Off Season Plan:

1. Sign Derek Anderson to a 4 year, $30M Contract, with the first two years guaranteed. Because Cleveland has tendered Anderson, the Vikings are obligated to fork over a 1st and 3rd round draft pick. Fine. Last time I checked we haven't exactly set the world on fire with our drafting ability. If you take AD out of the mix it looks REALLY bad. Derek Anderson is 24 years old...he's 2 months younger than Tarvaris Jackson. I am one that adheres to the train of thought that you can tell fairly quickly what you have in the quarterback position. When discussing Tarvaris Jackson, people LOVE to point out that Eli Manning struggled mightily his first 3 years, and there was even talk of benching him this season. No argument there...here is the difference though: Manning showed flashes of brilliance. Eli would have games where he threw for 350 and 2 TD's, followed by 100 yard, 2 INT stinkers. TJ hasn't shown me those flashes. He has at best been a game manager, and that isn't going to get it done in January.


2. Sign DJ Hackett to a 5 year, $22.5M deal. Bernard Berrian is the enticing WR of this free agent class, but I think teams are going to absurdly overpay for his services. Berrian is an intriguing player, no doubt, but I would be reluctant to give him Deion Branch money at this point. Hackett is younger, more versed in our offensive scheme, and would be a great compliment to Sydney Rice.

3. Draft Tom Zbikowski with our 2nd round pick. Have you seen this kid play? He's unreal...check out this youtube highlight video, he scores like he's on a drunken vacation with Lindsay Lohan.


4. Sign Tennessee DE Antwan Odom to a 4 year, $24M deal. This kid is an absolute riser in this league. He has the size (6'5" 275) to fill in for Udeze, as well as the production to warrant shelling out that kind of cash. Jeff Fisher knows how to coach young defensive players, so Odom has thus far learned from one of the best coaching staffs in the league. Let's please pass on Justin Smith, Mike Rucker, and the other "name" free agents. I want to pay younger, hungrier players who will produce on the field.

So there you go...four moves that I believe will place the Vikings in contention next season in the wide open NFC race. You thought Adrian Peterson was effective last season running behind a TJ offense...just you wait until you witness what he can do with a capable NFL quarterback. Hell...nobody had seen Jamal Lewis run like he did in 2007 since his federal drug deal days. Did Lewis suddenly find the fountain of youth? No...he ran behind a solid Quarterback that made the defense respect the passing attack...he didn't have that luxury in Baltimore.

Now...if only Zygi would just hand me the keys to the shiny purple car...

"RAINDROPS!!"

At the Accenture Match Play Championship, which started on Wednesday, Tiger Woods was down 3 holes with 5 to play against upstart J.B. Holmes...then he realized that he's Tiger Woods. Watch this absolutely ridiculous display of putting ability...if only he had started making the Ty Webb "nnnnananananananana" noises as he stares a fearful Holmes down...

Never Really Caught On...

From the obvious news department: Troy Williamson is on the market...(gasp!)...yeah, you read that correctly, the Vikings are shopping the 7th pick in the 2005 draft.

Now, no one is confusing me for Fred Biletnikoff for my wisdom on the WR positon, but I can take a stab at why we are no longer interested in Williamson's services: He can't CATCH THE GODDAMN BALL. Troy's job responsibilities are as follows:
1. Run a route (can't)
2. Catch the ball (can't)
3. Make a play with the ball (please refer to nos. 1 & 2 above)

Look, I know he's a nice kid, and I do feel the slightest bit bad for him with all of the verbal abuse the guy takes. Then I realize that he got paid millions of dollars to be terrible at his job. Is that REALLY that bad of a deal for the kid? I will sit in center field of the Metrodome from 8-5 Monday through Friday and listen to 64,000 people violently boo me for that kind of money. Sign me up!

Supershow...

Reversing a largely downward trend, the 2008 NBA Dunk Contest was thoroughly entertaining Saturday night. Dwight Howard, at 6'11", became the tallest player in the history of the contest to take home the Championship trophy. Or at least he won it...I really have no idea what those guys do with the trophies, but I would venture a guess that Kenny "Sky" Walker's and Harold "Baby Jordan" Miner's can be had for pennies on the dollar.

Here is Howard Supermanning the show:


While Gerald Green didn't win any eloquence contests, he did come up with the most creative dunk of the evening.

A Mixed Bag...

I apologize to my three readers that I haven't gotten around to a posting yet this week. Unfortunately, I was testifying before congress surrounding some Gatorade that I drank in B-Squad basketball, although it didn't go all that well because I "misremembered".

Pretty pathetic display by all parties involved in the Clemens hearing. Everybody is lying, and what is Congress doing investigating this anyway? Don't we have a borderline financial crisis in this country on the horizon? It seems our tax dollars would probably be better served...but that just makes too much sense.

I have found a new band that I think is putting out some extremely solid music right now, Vampire Weekend. Below is the video for "APunk":


My goal here is just to keep you kids in the cool.

One of my best friends, Dane Fischer, is the top assistant for Rider University's Men's basketball team.

The Broncs are leading the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference...this is division one basketball here folks. Look out for D. Fish and the Broncs in your bracket come March. Our hometown daily newspaper, The Rochester Post-Bulletin, did a feature on Dane earlier this week...discussing following his heart into coaching. Great stuff by my guy Pat Ruff.

Welcome Back...

Kevin Garnett is coming to town...sort of. In an odd series of events, KG is extremely doubtful for his homecoming at the Target Center this evening as a result of an elbow from Big Al Jefferson when the Wolves and Celts squared off in a rather raucous battle in Boston two weeks ago. The trash talking was at an all-time high between Garnett and the centerpiece of the Boston trade, Jefferson...Jim Souhan details a particularly sharp tongued exchange. The NBA has given the Timberwolves a one minute exemption during introductions tonight to honor Garnett, although I have a feeling a sold-out Target Center, filled with fans that paid top dollar to see Garnett, will need a little more time than that pay homage to the guy that IS the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Here are NBA TV's Top 10 Kevin Garnett Moments in Minnesota:


Although after watching that "Top 10" you will wonder how the game 6 against Sacramento in the 03-04 Playoffs wasn't even ON THE LIST?


-The C's should take their time with Garnett's injury writes Jackie MacMullan.

-Fanhouse notes that the Wolves will offer their disappointed fans free tickets to a future game tonight.

-McHale scoffs at the notion of a McHale to Ainge trade pipeline...

Big Wednesday...

There is a ton of stuff going on today...Shaq news, UNC-Duke, National Signing Day...so what am I doing? Going to 27 Dresses...because I'm THAT awesome. It's a long, tedious story that involves making someone sit through what I think was a FDA epileptic seizure testing facility, but for some reason it was at a movie theater and they called it Cloverfield.

#2 Duke pays a visit to #3 UNC tonight, but unfortunately for Tar Heel fans, point guard Ty Lawson is likely out with an ankle injury. This will mark the first time these two teams have faced off since Gerald Henderson broke Tyler Hansbrough's nose late in a game, where UNC had a large lead. I'm sure the kids at the Smith Center will be more than cordial to Henderson and the Blue Devils.

Phoenix is contemplating throwing their season and trading for 35 year-old Shaquille O'Neal. How does a 350 pound Shaq fit in with Steve Nash and the run and gun Suns? Has Mike D'Antoni decided to scrap his high-flying offense? If so...why? Phoenix leads the Western Conference by a game and a half as of Wednesday, they're playing great basketball lately, winning 8 of 10, and they are just about to kick off a long home stretch. Here is a bigger question: Why Shaq at this point, and NOT Kevin Garnett this summer? KG is healthy, 5 years younger, hungrier, and look how Boston is doing. This makes zero sense to this guy...so of course Phoenix will now go on and win the NBA title, defeating San Antonio in the Western Conference Finals behind Shaq's giant defensive presence in the paint, stifling Tim Duncan.

It's great to see Tim Brewster following through on his much discussed recruiting ability. The Gophers currently sport the 17th ranked recruiting class in the nation according to SI.com. So we now know that Brewcrew can recruit...let's see if he can coach this fall.

I'll make sure and let you know how the movie went.

Nobody's Perfect...

Just a tremendous football game last night. Awesome. The Loop patrons were 90% in the pro-giants camp, so you can imagine the mayhem that ensued those last two minutes in the game while Eli was working his magic. Here is clip that goes from "The Catch" to the Plax TD:

Sports Guy wrote a great column about how it feels to be on the other end of the deal after his Boston teams have had so much success in the last 6 years between the two Red Sox World Series victories, and the Pats 3 Super Bowl rings. This game was eerily similar to the 2001 Super Bowl that featured an offense many were calling the greatest of all time, an MVP Quarterback, A coach with a Super Bowl win on his resume...and the result was the same. The two touchdown underdog Giants, and back in the '01 SB the two touchdown underdog Pats, both played flawless games, and basically smashed the hell out of the Lamborghini offenses. Justin Tuck was a monster in this game, and Osi and Mike Strahan closely followed suit. Tom Brady was sacked 5 times and knocked down TWENTY THREE TIMES! It became evident in the first series that the Pats had the ball that his much hyped ankle indeed was causing him some trouble. Steve Spagnuolo showed the rest of the NFL that he's ready to be a head coach with that absolutely flawless game plan. The Giants D was agressive from the start, and Spagnuolo was pulling blitz strings at the perfect times.

How are those Manning boys doing lately? Man...my brother Ry and I have a little work to do to stand up to Peyton and Eli. Back to back Super Bowl wins for the Manning family. I don't think that will ever happen again, and in fact, I think it's more likely we'll see somebody go 19-0 before we see another pair of brothers win Super Bowl MVP in succesive years.

That had to be one hell of a good time last night for those two and the whole Manning family. I can just see Eli and Peyton breaking down coverages over a few laughs and a few cold ones...just like I am sure Ry and I would do. Good for those guys.

JESUS!

"AND HE COULD. GO. COMPLETELY. INSANE!"

This is awesome:

How The Big Show Is Going To Go...

Alright...I'm finally ready to come out of hiding and write something after the Santana mess that went down on Tuesday. Let's quickly discuss Johan and then we'll get to the SB. When the guy that knows more about Major League Baseball than anybody else in the universe, Peter Gammons, describes the packages of prospects as "Eh...", you aren't exactly giddy with excitement. I guess I don't understand the rush to trade him at this point. Wouldn't hanging on to the best pitcher in baseball into spring training and potentially the season just up his trade value as teams that realize they need pitching become increasingly desperate? You don't think the Yankees would've freaked out when they realized they have a pitching staff that has the makings of a .500 season? Now give, the Twins always seem to come out smelling like roses in these deals down the road, so I'll be patient with the guys we received, but that wasn't the Bill Smith regime pulling the strings. Anyways...I have a feeling that Joe Nathan is next as we march towards becoming the youngest team in baseball and gearing up towards the opening of the new ballpark in 2010.

Has anybody heard anything about a football game going on this weekend? Eli Brady and Archie Manning are the quarterbacks, so I'm stoked. The two weeks between the conference championship games is just really overkill for the media. EVERY single angle on every story has been covered, quoted, rehashed, and then discussed endlessly on sports radio. It's a bit much. That being said, I'm actually coming around on my level of excitement for this game. I reserved six barstools at The Loop for the fellas and I, and I'm looking forward to the Miller Lites and the wagers to start flowing. Last year, a buddy Steve and I cashed in $20 bills for $1's like we were heading to the strip club and sat belly up at the bar betting $1 on absolutely EVERYTHING. I really couldn't get enough of it. We were calling out the over/under on where the kickoff return would be while the ball was in the air. We were betting on whether or not they would show Lovie Smith in the next 20 seconds, complete with countdown. So many bets were taking place, and so many bills changing hands in rapid fashion, that I felt like I was a bookie at one of those illegal underground cock fights. Great times.

This is going to be a better game than people give it credit for. The most overrated aspect of this matchup is the fact that New England is 18-0. Now, is that impressive as hell? You bet. Does it really factor into this matchup? Absolutely not. I'm looking at the last 6 weeks of the season right now. That's it. If you don't think that New England was up for that week 17 game against the Giants, with a chance to make history and finish the regular season 16-0, than I can't take you seriously. That was as close to a Super Bowl atmosphere you will ever find in the regular season...including that week 8 Colts/Pats matchup. The game was televised on THREE networks. Eli played the game of his life, the Giants were up to the task, and it was an instant classic. I think that game is a more accurate showing of how these two teams matchup than the 12 point spread that Vegas threw up on the board last week. The Patriots haven't covered a spread since their week 14 victory against Pittsburgh. In fact in weeks 12 & 13, you will remember the two absolute nail-biters the Pats had against Philly and then Baltimore. This isn't the Patriots squad that was putting 50+ points on the board...teams have adjusted. If you double up Randy Moss and force Brady to dink and dunk you to death with Welker, you can keep the score in the 30's and hope for a few breaks. I think the Giants will be able to run the ball against the New England front seven...especially given the fact that most of the Patriot linebackers were all playing college football before you had heard of the Smashing Pumpkins. On the flip side of the ball, I think you'll see a lot more Laurence Maroney than you expect. Bill Belichick knows that the one way he can lose this game is to allow the Giants talented defensive line to create problems for Brady. I think Osi, Tuck, and Strahan are licking their chops at the prospects of number 12 dropping back in the pocket 45 times. Belichick is going to neutralize this by running Maroney, who has had his legs preserved essentially all season.


A huge question mark in this game is which Eli Manning is going to show up? I've been hugely impressed with his progress over the last half of the season, and especially the playoffs, but unlike so many others have done this week, I am not ready to say that he's arrived as an elite quarterback. He can change that with a strong performance on the game's biggest stage this week against what many are calling the best team of all time. Peyton showed me last year that the Manning's aren't made up of chokers, as many would've have previously led you to believe. They can hold their own in the moxie department. Just ask the 2006 Patriots and Bears how Peyton's "choking" worked out for them. Well I think Eli can step up as well on Sunday. He has the running game, the offensive weapons, a solid O-Line, and that chip on his shoulder (that Tiki kindly placed for him) that says "F You, we can win this game, and I'm the guy to lead us."



Look out for a classic:

New England Patriots 31, New York Giants 30