Tag: Vikings rumors (Page 5 of 5)

Have the Vikings already signed Favre?

According to a report by Profootballtalk.com and their unnamed sources (does PFT ever have sources who aren’t unnamed?), the Vikings have already signed Brett Favre and have authorized Reebok to begin making No. 4 jerseys. But Favre’s agent Bus Cook has denied the report and says that his client has not signed a contract yet.

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune states that the Vikings might have to wait another week before making an official announcement regarding Favre because Minnesota head coach Brad Childress is off on a wild Alaskan adventure with his colleague and friend Andy Reid. Wait…Childress and Reid are on a wild Alaskan adventure right now? Together? That has to be more of a story than Favre, right?

Anyway, Peter King of SI.com is also reporting that Favre is throwing the ball with zip. Of course, King’s source is Oak Grove High School (Miss.) coach Neville Barr (whoever the hell that is), so take that information with a grain of salt.

It’s up to you to as what to make of all this. Personally, I think it’s only a matter of time before Favre signs with Minnesota, regardless of the scouting report by Oak Grove High School’s head coach, which we all know is incredibly valuable. Favre has stated all along that he wanted to wait to see how his surgically repaired arm would hold up in workouts before he makes a decision, but the bottom line is that he wants to jam a football square up Packers GM Ted Thompson’s rear end more than anything so that’s what he’s going to do (his arm be dammed).

The agonizing thing is that we may have to wait another week before anything is officially announced.

Vikings’ Williams Wall and Saints’ Grant and Smith expected to be suspended four games

According to a report by Yahoo Sports, a federal judge has ruled that the NFL can suspend the five players that took StarCaps last season. The five players include Pat Williams and Kevin Williams of Minnesota, Charles Grant and Will Smith of New Orleans, and free agent Deuce McAllister.

A federal judge dismissed the claims of five NFL players who had been suspended last season for use of a banned diuretic in the diet supplement StarCaps. Among the five are four starting defensive linemen for the Vikings and Saints, including Pro Bowl defensive tackles Pat Williams and Kevin Williams(notes) of Minnesota and starting defensive ends Charles Grant(notes) and Will Smith(notes) of New Orleans.

All four are expected to sit the first four games of next season without pay. Their suspensions had been blocked last season while U.S. district judge Paul Magnuson heard arguments from the league and the NFL Players Association.

The league had suspended the four defensive linemen and then-Saints running back Deuce McAllister(notes) last season after they tested positive for the diuretic Bumetanide, which flushes water from the body and is considered a masking agent for steroids. McAllister is currently unsigned, but also faces a four-game suspension.

This is a massive blow for the Vikings and Saints. Minnesota loses the backbone of its defense, while New Orleans loses its two best pass rushers. A four game suspension only amounts to a fourth of the season, but it’s still enough to have a ripple effect that could carry throughout the rest of the year, especially if one (or both) of the teams starts 1-3 or 0-4.

Perhaps the only good news for both teams is that they now have an entire summer and preseason to prepare for not having these players at the start of the season.

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