Minnesota Vikings Vs. Seattle Seahawks

This is what I want to see tonight:

  1. : I hope they let him pass a lot. I mainly want to see if he makes good decisions in the passing game and doesn’t fumble the snap or the handoffs. We know he’s got a strong arm. We know he can run. We don’t yet know if he’ll be a smart quarterback. I also want to see him run the two minute offense.
  2. The right side of the offensive line: is starting tonight a right guard in place of , but Hicks will get plenty of playing time. It appears will be the right tackle and I’m fine with that. I thought, though he was raw last year, he was a vast improvement over . Will Johnson be overmatched again tonight?
  3. : A lot. Just because.
  4. Wide Receivers: I do want to see but only a little. He’s pretty much a known commodity: A good, tough receiver who gets hurt. I want to see them go deep a couple times to down the left sideline because that has always seemed to be the most difficult catch for him. I want to see a lot more of , , and , so we can see what we’ve got with those three. And how ’bout , that track star we invested a three year contract in? Let’s see what he’s got.
  5. : And a lot of him. Has he done anything this preseason except block? I guess he caught one pass, but I can’t even remember it, so it must’ve been unremarkable. I want to see if he can stretch the defense, as advertised. If teams are going to try and shut down our receiving corps, we’re going to have to kill them with Shaincoe, so he’s an important part of the passing game.
  6. : I hope to God he’ll return with that burst he showed last year before getting injured. If he’s healthy, we’ve got three good pass rushing right ends in James, and rookie . That would mean that with the way the Vikings rotate their D-lineman, we’ll be able to get consistent pressure on all downs from the right side. I’d like to see start on the left side because at least he gets some sacks. I am also looking forward to seeing what we’ve got in .
  7. : He had a great game last week but didn’t really show up in the first preseason game. I’d like to be assured that last week wasn’t a fluke.
  8. and : This is the best battle on defense and I think we’ll be fine with whoever wins the nickle spot. I give Edwards the nod because of experience. Edwards has got the speed but McCauley has got the size and he’s not slow, either.
  9. The Defense Against A Spread Offense: I don’t know if we’ll see it tonight, but the Jets tried it against us and we had an answer. I want to see consistent success against the spread.
  10. Oh, and I almost failed to mention: .

NFL’s Old Guard

sure did the hair on the backs of some executives. The that the rhetorical temperature got hot enough for Vikings owner Zygi Wilf to defend the signing and his vice president of football operations Rob Brzezinski.

quotes NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue saying he thinks the Hutchinson and Burleson offer sheets’ "poison pill" provisions are a loophole that he’ll address with the player’s association.

But it was , that  carried quotes from some disgruntled NFL heavies. They quoted quoting head coach Mike Holmgren, saying

They quotes owner Jeff Lurie saying

All this huffing sounds sooooo Old Guard. It’s just not done!!

Please.

If Mike Holmgren had thought of it first, you think he wouldn’t of done it? He just wasn’t creative enough and, as Wilf points out, the Hutchinson offer was entire within the rules.

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NFL’s Old Guard

sure did the hair on the backs of some executives. The that the rhetorical temperature got hot enough for Vikings owner Zygi Wilf to defend the signing and his vice president of football operations Rob Brzezinski.

quotes NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue saying he thinks the Hutchinson and Burleson offer sheets’ "poison pill" provisions are a loophole that he’ll address with the player’s association.

But it was , that  carried quotes from some disgruntled NFL heavies. They quoted quoting head coach Mike Holmgren, saying

They quotes owner Jeff Lurie saying

All this huffing sounds sooooo Old Guard. It’s just not done!!

Please.

If Mike Holmgren had thought of it first, you think he wouldn’t of done it? He just wasn’t creative enough and, as Wilf points out, the Hutchinson offer was entire within the rules.

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Seattle Seahawks – Cry Babies

Here’s a roundup of the headlines from Seattle’s major newspapers regarding the :

Oh. My. God. They clearly like the revenge factor in Seattle. This Seahawks blogger probably sums up the attitude of Hawks fans: Eat it, Minnesota! Seahawks sign Burleson to ridiculous offer sheet.

Could an organization display more childish behavior?!? It’s breathtaking. I admit, mirroring the was cute…but also dumb. , I’ll take Seattle’s 3rd round pick and I very much suspect that they are overpaying for the privilege of signing Burleson.

Not that there’s necessarily something wrong with overpaying for a player you really feel you need. We did that by signing Hutchinson. But to overpay out of spite? Not so smart.

I hope Burleson thrives in Seattle. Given the right circumstances, he could thrive; he demonstrated that in 2004–but then he was lining up opposite , too. Few people have that luxury. , when he was given the chance to be the featured receiver, he didn’t step up and size the opportunity. I think he’s fine slot receiver, but is he worth what the Seahawks are giving him?

I don’t think so.

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Seattle Seahawks – Cry Babies

Here’s a roundup of the headlines from Seattle’s major newspapers regarding the :

Oh. My. God. They clearly like the revenge factor in Seattle. This Seahawks blogger probably sums up the attitude of Hawks fans: Eat it, Minnesota! Seahawks sign Burleson to ridiculous offer sheet.

Could an organization display more childish behavior?!? It’s breathtaking. I admit, mirroring the was cute…but also dumb. , I’ll take Seattle’s 3rd round pick and I very much suspect that they are overpaying for the privilege of signing Burleson.

Not that there’s necessarily something wrong with overpaying for a player you really feel you need. We did that by signing Hutchinson. But to overpay out of spite? Not so smart.

I hope Burleson thrives in Seattle. Given the right circumstances, he could thrive; he demonstrated that in 2004–but then he was lining up opposite , too. Few people have that luxury. , when he was given the chance to be the featured receiver, he didn’t step up and size the opportunity. I think he’s fine slot receiver, but is he worth what the Seahawks are giving him?

I don’t think so.

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Nate Burleson Signs With Seattle For…$49 Million

Is this the being cute? Forty-nine million for seven years–?

I don’t know how the Seahawks structured , but I have a hard time believing he’s worth that much. According to , $5.25 million is guaranteed. That sounds a bit pricey.

, I like Bureleson but considering our current situation at receiver, I wouldn’t be extremely upset at losing him–especially if keeping him meant overpaying–and getting a third round pick as compensation.

Zulgad reports in the same article that will sign with the .

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Steve Hutchinson, Tony Richardson Are Vikings

It sure took a long time. But in the end, it was worth the wait. Seattle Seahawks Pro Bowl guard is now a Viking. At 6′ 5", 313 pounds, Hutchinson will be a massive presence lining up between center (6’4", 309 lbs) and the even more massive tackle 6’8", 335 lbs). This left side helps explain why the Vikings didn’t go after a marquee running back like : Anyone should be able to run behind these guys.

Anyone is and the Vikings new back got some help today, as well, when the team signed Kansas City Chiefs fullback . Richardson was a nice pick up. At 6’1", 238 lbs, Richardson is a true fullback who can do it all. Though he has been used primarliy as a lead blocker for the past several seasons, he’s got soft hands and he can carry the ball as well.

Frankly, if the Hutchinson deal had fallen though, the Vikings efforts in free agency would’ve been a disappointment. We needed at least one rock star signing and we got that with Hutchinson, turningg a weakness into a strength by shoring up at least half of a line that was disasterous last season.

But we did sign him and you gotta give the Vikings all the credit for putting their money where they mouth is.

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Losing Nate Burleson

restricted free agent reciever is in Seattle for a two-day visit with the . Burleson is from Seattle. If the Seahawks sign him, it will cost them a third-round pick.

I think Burleson is worth more than a third-round pick, but I wouldn’t mind it so much if we lose him.

Don’t get me wrong, I like Burleson a lot but last year he was given the opportunity to be the featured reciever and he didn’t run away with the job, and then he got hurt. As a smallish receiver, his durability was a question he failed to dispell.

He’s not a featured reciever. He’s a slot receiver.

Then you look at our other recievers and it’s hard to find a place for him. We just signed to a lucrative contract to be the big-play guy. proved to be a great slot receiver last year, just catching anything thrown his way. You’ve got to get last year’s seventh overall pick on the field a lot more this year, so you know ‘s role will expand greatly. And then you’ve got still in the mix, probably as a red-zone specialist.

There’s not a hell of a lot left for Nate.

So if the Seahawks sign him, I’m fine with that, and good luck to him.

Lastly, an extra pick has great appeal to me in this year’s linebacker-rich draft.

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Steve Hutchinson Signed

Now we know for sure that Zygi Wilf is serious about spending what it takes to win a championship. The and offered Pro Bowl guard a deal that will hopefully be so prohibitively expensive that the Seahawks will decline to match it immediately, rather than taking the seven days that are allotted for them to respond.

that the Vikings offer would make Hutchinson the highest paid guard in NFL history: Seven years for $49 million with $16 million in guarantees.

The article states that it is believed the Seahawks were offering Hutchinson an average of $5.8 million before free agency started, while the Vikings’  offer averages $7 million.

Hutchinson is 6′ 5" and weighs 313 pounds. He was a first-round draft choice in 2001 and is a three-time Pro Bowler. He has started every game he’s played, but in 2002 was limited to four games because of a broken leg.

Hutchinson would give the Vikings an enormously powerful left side by adding him next to left tackle Bryant McKinney.

You can .

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Koren Robinson Signs, Chester Taylor To Visit

The signed to a three-year deal and will have running back in for a visit today. .

The Koren Robinson signing is big because in addition to being our best reciever, he’s a great return man, something we haven’t had in a long time. Robinson would certainly have garnered quite a bit of interest because he would’ve been among the best of a thin free agency field of receivers. I would’ve hated to lose him.

‘ backup his entire career, Taylor’s best season was 2004 when he played in all 16 games and started four. He finished second on the team in rushing and made a career high 160 carries for 714 yards, averaging 4.5 yards per carry. He scored two touchdowns and caught 30 receptions for 184 yards.

Though he gained on 487 yards on 117 carries last year, that was still good enough for a 4.2 yard per carry average. He upped his reception total to 41, gaining 292 yards.

Taylor was used primarily as a third-down and change of pace back by the Ravens.

that the Vikings are trying to arrange a visit with guard .

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