vikings/nfl

Great wishlist, but we need a few guys that will actually give Ponder time to throw to any of them.

Repeat after me: O Line. I know, its not very flashy, but Vincent Jackson 'streaking down the sideline' is pointless if the qb is on his back all the time.

As many holes as there are...... I would love to sign Mario Williams, who will be a beast for many years, and create a frightening combo with Jared... Seriously frightening...... Brian Robison could probably fetch us a solid pick or two....

Otherwise, WR, LB, and DB are obvious needs..... Kalil will be the LT, and Johnson should be solid at guard, so the line should be at least solid, but I wouldn't be opposed to picking up another guard so Johnson can be the backup LT (solid as a backup....) .....Any way we can get some free cap space?

I hope the Vikings aren't considering Cortland Finnegan. He is more trouble than he is worth.

This is like building a house. We need to build from the O-line out. If we can build up the O line and upgrade the D-backfield this season, we can at least compete and head into next year's draft and offseason with more money and fewer needs. This is a two-year process, so if we can get enough long-term quality players through the draft and FA to get to 8-8 this year, I'll call it a success.

NO FREE AGENT is going to sign for a bad team with a horrible head coach in a lousy stadium in a cold-weather state with some of the highest state taxes in the country. Period. The Vikings know this and that's why Spielman is already intimating that they "build through the draft." I mean, read between the lines! Moreover, the Vikings should hope that any team besides them signs Vincent Jackson. The guy is a punk who's been whining about his contract since he's been in the league. He has two DUI's, he let his teammates down by holding-out for half a season, he extended the work-stoppage by two days last year because he wanted a "special deal" being how he was listed as a plaintiff in the lawsuit, he has questionable work ethic and durability issues, and he's never even caught 70 passes in a season despite playing in one of the most prolific offenses in the league! The guy is one of the most overrated players in the game, and once he gets his money... guarantee it's Chris Johnson/Bernard Berrian all over again.

Did you hear that the NFL is taking away millions in salary-cap space from the Cowboys and Redskins for illegal front-loading of deals during the 2010 uncapped year? What is more, the NFL is divvying up what they're taking from those two miscreant teams and giving it to 28 other teams, which includes the Vikings (for whatever reason, the Saints and Raiders have been excluded). So, the Vikes have another 1.6 million added to their salary cap space today. And here Jerry Jones was boasting about all the free agents he was going to sign, lol! That guy is such a stooge!

When they need as much as they do, the Vikes can't break the bank on one superstar. Instead, they ought to target young guys with upside, and target them while other teams are pursuing the studs -- that way they not only might get them but get them at a reasonable rate. Sounds like Garcon wants Sidney Rice money, which is too much for him. But Robert Meachem and Laurent Robinson are both very interesting. With the 'Boys getting clipped on the salary-cap vio, this might be a good opportunity for the Purple to slip a WR with 4.3 speed and a ton of upside out the backdoor. Josh Morgan might be a "cheapie" that could pay dividends. I'd try to get MLB Stephen Tulloch away from the Lions also -- he's still only 27. And what was Houston thinking cutting one of the best RT's in the NFL in Eric Winston!?! I'm all for dumping Loadholdt for a Macy's mannequin let alone adding Winston to the right-side with Kalil on the left-side... voila!, you instantly have one of the best OL's in the NFL.

Don't let anyone fool you. The NFL is all business. ALL free agents are looking first for money, THEN the chance to win. The idea that all these players are looking for a winning team is a favorite topic for fans. But the fact is the best free agents want to get paid first. They have ZERO loyalty towards a team. Players are more independant contractors than anything. To the players money drives free agency. Winning is secondary.