Tag: Minnesota Vikings (Page 7 of 61)

      Vikings’ DE Griffen arrested twice in three days

      February 1, 2011 /
      Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick evades a sack attempt by Minnesota Viking defensive end Everson Griffen during third quarter Philadelphia Eagles-Minnesota Vikings game action in Philadelphia at Lincoln Financial Field December 28, 2010. UPI/Eileen Angelino

      A day after the St. Paul Pioneer Press suggested that he would be given a chance to win a starting job this offseason, Vikings’ defensive end Everson Griffen was arrested twice in three days.

      On Monday, he was tasered and arrested after allegedly assaulting a police officer during a traffic stop. The incident took place near USC’s campus, where Griffen attended school. He reportedly became aggressive with officers after he was asked to show an I.D. that he didn’t have. After attempting to run away, he finally assaulted one of them and was charged with felony battery.

      Three days prior to that arrest, he was also hauled in for public drunkenness on Friday night in Hollywood.

      From the Minneapolis Star-Tribune:

      The Los Angeles Times reported that Griffen said “he did not want to go back to jail.”

      Griffen also was cited by police in Nantucket, Mass., for a noise violation on July 4, 2009, but it wasn’t completely clear initially why he would have mentioned going back to jail. TMZ’s website helped to clear up why Griffen mentioned returning to jail when it was the first to report that he spent time Saturday in police custody.

      I don’t see why this fine, upstanding gentleman wouldn’t be given a chance to start next season. Clearly his decision-making is top notch and obviously he’s dedicated to football in the offseason.

      Looks like the Vikes might be seeking a defensive end this offseason.

      External Sports, NFL

      Uh-oh: Michael Vick seen limping following loss to Vikings

      December 29, 2010 /

      As if we needed further proof that nobody knows what they’re talking about when it comes to the NFL, the Vikings go on the road and beat the Eagles on Tuesday night.

      This was the same Minnesota team that looked hapless, helpless and completely unmotivated against the Bears on Monday night just one week ago. They flat out gave up in that game as soon as Brett Favre left in the second quarter with a concussion. But give them credit, they came out ready to play on Tuesday in Philly.

      Michael Vick completed 25-of-43 passes for 263 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He also added eight rushes for 63 yards and another touchdown in the Eagles’ 24-14 loss.

      But the story isn’t in his numbers. The story is how the Vikings brought the heat early and often and battered Vick throughout the night. It was the worst physical beating that Vick took all season, as he struggled to read Minnesota’s blitzes and took unnecessary hits. He lost two fumbles throughout the game and could have been picked off several more times if Viking defenders knew how to catch.

      The worst part is that Vick was scene limping in the locker room due to a quad contusion that he suffered on the first play of the game. With the Eagles now locked into the No. 3 seed in the NFC, there’s no reason for Andy Reid to play Vick against the Cowboys this Sunday. He’ll need all the rest he can get with either the Packers, Giants or Bucs coming to town next weekend.

      The biggest benefactors of Minnesota’s win were ironically their division rivals the Bears, who are now guaranteed a first round bye.

      External Sports, NFL

      Pennsylvania Governor: We’ve become a nation of wusses, Chinese much better than us

      December 28, 2010 /

      Following the NFL’s decision to move the Vikings-Eagles game from Sunday night to Tuesday because of bad weather in the Philadelphia area, Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell (D) said that we’ve become a nation of wusses.

      From ESPN.com:

      “It goes against everything that football is all about,” Rendell said Monday on radio station 97.5 The Fanatic in Philadelphia.

      “My biggest beef is that this is part of what’s happened in this country,” Rendell said. “I think we’ve become wussies.”

      “We’ve become a nation of wusses. The Chinese are kicking our butt in everything,” Rendell added. “If this was in China do you think the Chinese would have called off the game? People would have been marching down to the stadium, they would have walked and they would have been doing calculus on the way down.”

      Trick question, because China doesn’t have football. So take that, Governor.

      While I agree the game should have never been rescheduled, Rendell is going a tad overboard here. The game wasn’t moved because the league doesn’t want its players playing in snow. It was moved because there was some concern for the fans either driving or leaving the game in a blizzard.

      The NFL made a quick decision regarding fans’ safety and therefore the game was shifted to Tuesday. I don’t think we need to turn this into a political discussion about how the Chinese are so much far advanced than we are based on this. (After all, there are better examples of that fact – zing!)

      I’ve lived in the Midwest my entire life. I’ve seen snow, I’ve driven in blizzards and I’ve had to deal with some horrendous weather. I do agree that many people freak out for no reason as soon as bad weather hits. But maybe shifting the game to Tuesday will cause fewer incidents and hopefully avoid accidents. I get that accidents happen in all weather, but maybe the NFL avoided an unnecessary risk by playing the game tonight.

      Are we a nation of wusses because of that? I don’t think so.

      External Sports, NFL

      Fran Tarkenton rips Brett Favre…again.

      December 24, 2010 /

      Former Vikings’ great Fran Tarkenton has never hid his distaste for Brett Favre and has once again taken to the media to slam the future Hall of Famer.

      This time, Tarkenton ripped Favre for being selfish in continuing to play this season instead of stepping aside for rookie Joe Webb.

      From USA Today:

      “Why in the world would they play Brett Favre? Or would Brett Favre want to play?” Tarkenton, a longtime Vikings QB, said of the team’s decision to start Favre last Monday. (Via SportsRadioInterviews.com and 97.5-FM in Philadelphia)

      “Is that what is best for the franchise going forward? Of course not. It’s selfish! It’s absolutely selfish!”

      “He talks about the team and, ‘I am for the team but I want to play for the home fans and my teammates,'” Tarkenton said. “It was Monday Night Football last week… He hasn’t had enough publicity in the last week, he has been on the bench for two weeks. It is not right. He ought to keep himself out of the equation and say, this is not best for the team.”

      Regular readers know that I completely agree with Tarkenton’s view on Lord Favre. A month ago I wrote that the Vikings should go with Tarvaris Jackson for the final four games or so because they needed to evaluate his future status with the team. Favre clearly isn’t going to be back next year (whether he retires or moves on to his next project), so the Vikings needed to shift into evaluation mode once they were eliminated. Granted, Jackson proved that he doesn’t have a future in Minnesota either, but at the time there was still question about whether or not he could compete for the starting job next year.

      Is Favre selfish? Egotistical may be a better word. He needs the media attention and the spotlight on him. As Tarkenton said, it was Monday Night Football and Favre saw it as one last opportunity to be the story before he moves on. It wasn’t Joe Webb time – it was Lord Favre time.

      Keep the hits coming, Fran. Love your work.

      External Sports, NFL

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