Vikings Message Board.Com

CalVike wrote:I don't like it. Here's why. Last year they turned PK from a liability into a differentiator. This year, on their high horse, they thought let's use the magic and turn the P into a differentiator. But there's far less upside to spending a 5 on a P than a 6 on a PK, even if the hot shot left-footed new P is top notch. And he may not be, history is filled with top draft P who flopped. Kluwe was good enough to go another year, at what is actually far less than top of the league P salary.

To me, GM Rick Spielman got too cute on draft day, dropping a 5 on a P and a 3 and a 4 in a trade. He may regret the opportunity cost of dropping the non-P players he would have picked 3, 4, and 5.

As for Kluwe's outspokenness and the role it played, there's not much there. The Vikings deserve the benefit of the doubt that they acted in good faith in that regard. There is a fair performance argument to be played. This was done because of the tremendous success of the Blair Walsh Project, not to silence am American hero, which he truly is.

ST. PAUL, Minn. - Gov. Mark Dayton thinks sports teams, like politicians, should be honest about decisions that are being made.

"Yeah, I don't feel good about it," said Dayton when asked about the Minnesota Vikings decision to release outspoken punter Chris Kluwe on Monday.

"I'm not in a position to evaluate the relative punting abilities, but it seems to me the general manager said, right after the draft, they were going to have competition," Dayton recalled. "Well, they bring the one guy in, he kicks for a weekend and that's competition?"

The Vikings and general manager Rick Spielman have been adamant that the decision was strictly football related. And even Kluwe said that ownership had supported his activism in the past. But Kluwe also said he doesn't know the discussions that team officials had behind closed doors.

"I just think sports officials ought to be honest about what the heck is going on, same way I think public officials should be honest about what's going on, so that bothers me probably as much, if not more, than the actual decision," Dayton said.

Spielman said in a Monday release that the decision to cut Kluwe right away was made to allow him a better chance at signing on with another team.

"That's their decision to make," Dayton concluded. "They don't give political advice. I don't give them coaching advice."

dead_poet wrote:Governor Dayton chides Vikings for dishonesty in cutting Chris Kluwe
http://www.1500espn.com/sportswire/Gov_ ... luwe050813

Mothman wrote: As an aside, has there ever been more concern expressed about a change in holders?

The Breeze wrote: I keep forgetting to mention this aspect. It's really the only big concern for me. I imagine being a holder takes a real calm quality and that it's not all that easy. I could be quite wrong about that too....but I hope this doesn't have some weird effect on Walsh going forward. I really don't expect him to miss anything under 65 yards for at least another 6 years...and if he does it will be the holders fault.

Mothman wrote:It is a difficult job and a good holder is valuable but it doesn't seem to be a job that's hard to fill with someone who can handle it effectively. Locke was a holder in college and if I'm not mistaken, Matt Cassel has experience holding on kicks as well so the Vikes should have some good options.

glg wrote: I tend to prefer the backup QB doing it anyway. Run a fake in the preseason and suddenly teams aren't all out rushing on FG's anymore. Fake is way more effective when it's a QB not a P holding.

Didn't take @ChrisWarcraft long to find work. Per @brendon310, he's signing a one-year minimum deal with the #Raiders.

dead_poet wrote: Tom Pelissero on Twitter

PurpleJarl wrote:You guys just dont get it do you? *shakes head in condescending fashion*


Kluwe is FOR gay rights... FOR it.


Thusly, everything he does or has happen to him is now now related to it, don't you see?
This is the travesty of our time. The Vikings may as well start scheduling practices at the Westboro Baptist Church.