Vikings to trade Percy Harvin?

Will the Vikings try and trade Harvin? Indications are they will listen to offers for him. What scouts are reporting is the Vikings will not receive a 1st round pick for him though. Harvin is a interesting player, there is no doubting his on field effort, but his off field baggage is what scares people.

Harvin is an explosive player on and off the field. During the first half of this season Harvin's name was attached to early MVP. Off the field he is known to argue with teammates and coaches. Local reporters were able to turn away when Harvin had it out with Childress who was not liked among players. That said it raised eyebrows when reports surfaced of him arguing with Les Frazier who is as even keeled as they come. When things don't go right he gets upset and that is partly due to his competitive nature but also his moodiness.

So what can the Vikings expect in return? I'd expect a package of picks such as a 2nd and 4th rounder. It's really hard to envision a marquee player coming back in the deal, just because of the money involved and the market value of that player. I did hear two scenario's neither of which I could see playing out.

The first was the Niners sending Alex Smith to the Vikings for Harvin along with a pick. This won't work for two reasons. Alex Smith wants to start and while he is a good solider I can't seem him sitting behind Ponder. Next why would the Vikings trade for a player who could be released and sign him for nothing? Doesn't make much sense to me.

The next was a more interesting one, the Vikings sending Harvin and another player to Arizona for Larry Fitzgerald. One paper it seems like a good deal for both teams.The Cardinals could start getting younger and Fitz could get a fresh start while providing the Vikings the wr they desperately need. For this to happen Fitz would have to force the Cardinals to trade him which I just don't see him doing.

Again I don't see either one of these happening, I do believe the Vikings will move Harvin for a couple picks cause that is the current format for the Vikings, they build through the draft. If the Vikings are going to do it, they need to do it now. Harvin is in the last year of his deal and will hold out without a new contract. Either way his days in a Vikings jersey appear to be over.

Oh Stop It Ray, Ray

I know I am weeks behind on this one, but is anyone else tired of Ray Lewis? Every time the camera is on this guy he cries. My issue isn't so much the crying, but the way he dodges question's about his past by crying and thanking god.

I swear that is the go to move for athlete's trying to shake their past or their get out of jail free card. When Lewis was pressed about his past he said it's the devils work. Then when asked again he said nobody was qualified to ask him about his murder case. I wish one of the victims family members were there to ask him since they are more than qualified. While I know this wouldn't be possible, it would force him to answer questions.

I was a Ray Lewis fan before the playoffs and now I can't stand the guy. Everything he does and says seems to be fake and a show. From the begining I believed this would be a distraction from the team because everything was about Lewis. Now looking back on it, he protected them with everything being about him it almost appeared the team was extremely loose.

It will be interesting to see how he makes the transition from field to booth. He will offer some great insight to the game, but I don't believe he will be able to keep his emotions in check and will make for some great banter among other analyst.  I am excited the playoffs are over so I don't have to see the water works anymore, but it was short lived once I realized he will be on my TV every Sunday when the season rolls around.

Quick Pick

Just a quick pick of the NFL playoffs this week..

Denver over Baltimore - In my opinion Baltimores defense is not what it once was and  Flacco can't hang with Peyton in a shootout.

Niners over Greenbay - Greenbay is red hot, no doubting that and they were my SuperBowl pick at the begining of the season. The Niners match up well against Greenbay, they run well control the tempo and have a solid defense with Justin Smith returning

Seahawks over Atlanta - Sorry Atlanta I am not sold on you.. You can't run and have a iffy defense, while Seahawks can cover all aspects of the game.. Solid QB, strong ground game and strong defense.

New England over Houston - This game will be a blowout just like a couple weeks ago. Houston has nothing new to offer the Patriots.

Straight Cash Homie....

Now that the Saints have received their due punishment, every former and some current players are chiming in on the subject. It seems that paying "bounties" happens on every team just not to the degree of injuring a player. It's more a long the lines of first guy on defense to get a pick gets $1000 or first tackle on special teams gets $500.  If nobody meets the goal which I hope on special teams that doesn't happen, the money rolls over to the following week. Each guy on the team chips and it is sort of a goal...

Now these figures are pretty small even in my eyes, but some players pointed out that some goals could get as high as 10 to 20K. This is where I get upset, every year some player whines and holds out cause he can't feed his 5 kids and keep gas in his 6 cars..Maybe if NFL players were more responsible with their money they wouldn't have these issues. If NFL players want to throw money in weekly bounty pots each week, don't expect the public to feel sorry for them come contract time or when they lose everything..Worry not soon to be broke EX-NFL player, I am sure SI will write a great story about what you once were...

Lin Vs Tebow

From one mania to the next, Timmy vs Linsanity...Maybe because I don't follow much basketball that the coverage Jeremy Lin is getting on every channel doesn't bother me as much as Tebow does. Or maybe the fact that Lin is a feel good story and he continues to impress when people think he will fail. Yes the Heat shut him down and yes he struggles with turnovers, but what he has done thus far from no where is remarkable.

I'm tough on Tebow, because he has  so much hype surrounding him for accomplishing zero in the NFL. Tools like Skip Bayless like to give him way more credit than he deserves and not enough to the Denver defense who got the turnovers and made up for Tebows typical 5 for 15 weekly completion ratio. I get that he's a polarizing figure and with the attention from every angle. I just don't see what the hype is for a qb who's team covered up his lack of NFL skill.

Now on the flip side Jeremy Lin deserves it because the kid came out of no where turned the Knicks around and is hitting game winning shots. He has proven he can play but does not seek out the attention Tebow has. Tebow appears humble, but he seeks out the media any chance he gets and uses that to preach. Lin has taking the NBA by storm and now has his share of "haters" from Mayweather playing the race card..Shocking really.. Or Steven A Smith writing Lin off because he had one bad game against one of the best if not the best defense in the league. I love people saying he is getting the attention because he is asian, maybe he is getting the attention because he was a bench warmer and breaking records that the best players in NBA history set.... Grab a seat and enjoy the rest of the show

Year of the QB and other football thoughts

So this was the year of the qb, to be an elite team you needed a high power offense and a qb to throw all over the place...No so fast, 4 of the top passers in the league started the playoffs and only one remains.. Brees,Stafford and Rodgers all made early exits from the playoffs and it came down to 2 reasons.. Lousy defense and lousy ball protection, the Saints and Packers both had suspect defenses but were bailed out by their quarterbacks.

Rodgers looked flat and while his receivers did drop quite a few balls he missed wide open passes and looked slow going through his reads. Rodgers extended plays with his feet, but to many times missed the open man. His defense did him no favors getting zero pressure on Manning and horrible tacking. Green Bay had one of the worst defenses in the league but close to the top in takeaways.. The Giants protected the ball and Eli avoided turnovers...

Brees was his typical Brees self, the guy puts up amazing numbers but every game will throw at least 3 no look deep passes. If you look back to the game against Detroit, he had 3 int's dropped and came back to win the game. This week that did not happen, the Niners took advantage of every chance they got. On defense Greg Williams chose to blitz Alex Smith and I'm not sure why... Smith is one of the best quarterbacks in the league against the blitz. Smith is not flashy and will not put up huge numbers but he plays it safe and the Niner play to his strengths.

What separates Brady from the others (besides still being in the playoffs) he doesn't force the ball down field. That's why he is able to control the game better and limit his turnovers. Using his two tight ends he is allowed to work the middle of the field and his receivers pick up huge chunks of yards after the catch. Yes the Patriots defense is suspect and they did play Tim Tebow, but if they can get the same type of pressure on Flacco this week, I think the results will be the same. The Broncos had one of the best defenses in the league and Brady picked them apart...Which leads me to McDaniels..

People are upset over the Patriots bringing McDaniels back a week before the game. Yes I understand your point, but if he was a ball boy it wouldn't be an issue. McDaniels was let go in St.Louis thus voiding his contract making him available to hire. It's within the rules so move on..

Giants fans it's the morning after and you are still crying over the terrible calls.. Let it go, you won the game..This stuff has been going on all season long with blown calls, it's part of the game and will continue to be part of the game. The NFL needs to hire a full time review crew instead of having the field crew review it.  Put it directly on the NFL and not the judges on the field who are basically part time employees..

Next week...I like the Pat's over Ravens 28-14 and Niners over Giants 21-7

Packers Undefeated Season.....

Does anyone see a NFC team knocking off the Packers? Probably not, not that it can't happen, but it is unlikely to happen. Look at the NFC so-called powerhouses and who installs fear in the Pack...NFC East, Dallas or Giants.. No...NFC West, San Fran.. Probably not.. NFC South, Atlanta or New Orleans.. Maybe New Orleans but Atlanta no.

The Packers SHOULD have a easy trip to the Super Bowl, looking at the NFC landscape there is not a team with a strong enough secondary to hold up against Rodgers. The Giants came close in a shoot-out with them, but their cornerbacks failed at stopping the big play... It took Rodgers about 15 seconds and 3 plays to go from his 20 to field goal range for Crosby.. That's efficent !!

To beat the Packers you need an above average offense along with a top defensive pass rush and an above average dime package. Keep Rodgers off the field with your offense and slow him down with your D. Let's face it you probably won't shut them down totally.So who fit's that bill...I got nothing.. The closesest I could come would be Baltimore or Pittsburgh, but I would need a hybrid.. Balitmore's defense with Pittsburgh's offense. Baltmore alone might have a chance with decent play from Flacco. So there you have it...Move over Mercury Morris, you are going to get some company...

Time to fire Frazier

The season is not over yet and the Vikings are faced with the question "Is Frazier the right man to lead this team?" If you judge a team by their record and performance than no he should have been fired weeks ago, but let's look at the bigger picture.

The Vikings secondary has been terrible all season and but at least when Winfield and Cook were in there they were somewhat respectable outside of the safety position. The lose of Winfield and Cook has caused a total collapse of the secondary, proof this weekend when Tebow looked like Rodgers in the pocket passing. The Vikes are starting a DB who was on his couch watching 3 weeks ago and one with two bad knees from ACL surgery. These DB's shouldn't start in the UFL never mind starting for the Vikings.

People are complaining about Frazier bringing in McNabb and starting him over Ponder. There was zero chance Ponder could have played on day one, the lockout took any chance of that happening and threw it out the window. Frazier went after McNabb as a bridge to Ponder and was someone he was comfortable with from their time in Philly. Yes the move backfired with McNabb being benched and now waived, but the thought behind it was a good one. You do not throw your rookie quarterback into the fire and risk not only injury but his confidence.

Frazier is a great person as anyone who has met him will tell you, but I am not sold he is coaching material. I would like to see how he does with a normal off season and not inheriting over rated defense. Frazier has proven he can keep a steady ship, but I would like to see him grow as a coach. This year he has failed to make adjustments throughout the year not only with personnel but his coaching. Too many times we see Harvin or even Peterson on the bench in critical situations. You want to see the coach learn from mistakes like a player, but Frazier has often repeated the same mistakes. Truth is Frazier is safe this year, but if this team doesn't take big leaps next year Frazier might not make it to week 13.

The Tebow Trap Has Been Set...

Let me make this clear I like Tim Tebow as a person, from what I heard about him from his time down in Florida he does and say's everything right. While teamates were out partying he was inside studying and basically staying out of harms way. I'm sure a lot of student athlete's are like this, but usually we only hear the negative.

The trap was set in Denver the day Tebow was drafted, the trap has been sprung now that he is winning. The truth is Tebow is not a throwing quaterback. He is a fullback playing the quaterback position and we are now seeing that. His so called mechanic change has gone out the window and he misses more passes than he completes. I know big guys can play quaterback one just needs to look at Culpepper, but Tebow does not have the mechanics Culpepper did.

Everytime he completes a good pass or one that 95% of the quaterbacks complete with their eyes closed, we hear how great of a arm he has and he just needs time.  He does complete passes in clutch situations and get's the job done, but is that enough to complete with the big time teams? The only competitive teams he beat are the Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers and most people will agree those teams are worse than their records indicate. Denvers defense is more vital than Tim Tebow and probably has kept them in more games than Tebow has won them. I believe that is getting lost in Tebowmania.

The Denver fans love Tebow, they were chanting his name from day one and this put's John Fox and John Elway in a bear trap set by Tebow and the public. Elway has been careful with his comments to the media and through Twitter with regards to Tebow. Though he won't commit to Tebow 100% he has not gone away from suppoting him, but Fox in his first year as Denvers coach did not draft Tebow and Elway wants a passing qb. Behind closed doors one has to think they were hoping Tebow would make it easy to draft a qb in April.

He hasn't done so and tightened his trap by winning games in the final quarter, better yet final minutes and overtime. Tebow plays terrible for 3 quarters, but comes up in the 4th and the public only sees it as "He's so clutch" and "Tebows a winner" So the trap has been sprung, do Elway and Fox hitch their wagon to Tebow for the next couple seasons or do they risk public push back and draft a qb?

Chris Kluwe A Breath Of Fresh Air

It’s a breath of fresh air to read this article on Yahoo from Les Carpenter about Vikings punter Chris Kluwe. Most athletes especially football players get lumped in the jock role of not being very bright, a meathead and in this modern NFL all about the money. Chris comes across of the complete opposite of all those and if I wasn’t a Vikings fan I’d would probably have had no idea who he was from his Twitter accounthttp://twitter.com/#!/ChrisWarcraft). Most people I following on Twitter talk about upcoming teams, other players, working out or pitching some product. This is not the case with Chris, usually he is complaining about a video game or mocking the NFL. To all 3 of my readers if you get the time give the article above a read and you’ll appreciate the breath of fresh air Chris has given the NFL

About that Chris Johnson Hold Out...

As Chris Johnson continues to hold out in hopes of a new contract we can again ponder "Is it a good idea?" I am very much on the fence on this one, being a Vikings fan I think Adrian Peterson is more deserving then Johnson of a new contract and handling it the proper way, by showing up and not becoming a distraction to his team. Peterson has been more consistent and a more complete back than Johnson, but this post isn't about that it's about should a player hold out for a new contract?

A NFL running back has one of the shortest playing careers of any position and while great running backs are rare, serviceable good running backs are a dime a dozen.Plus what about the fact that teams can basically cut a player at any time, should we expect a player to honor his contract when the team doesn't have to? I don't think Johnson deserves what he is requesting to be paid as one of the highest impact players not just at his position but the overall. The days of a running back dictating that type of money are gone and qbs are higher impact players than running backs. I think Johnson should be paid as a top tier running back and while I don't think holding out is a great idea for other positions, I feel it is almost justified as a running back. They are one injury away from calling it a career, might as well get as much as possible when you have the leverage.

Owens ACL Injury Has Me Thinking.. What Would You Do?

With the news of T.O possibly having ACL surgery for a still unknown disclosed injury, it got me thinking “What is worth it?” First let’s set the stage, T.O is already a multi millionaire so missing a season or two worth of paychecks is not a big deal, but what about the young guys?

As you are coming out of college not only are you surrounded with fellow teammates and athletes, you also have your friends back home. All these people around you are into sports and I am sure play on the weekends and your teammates train. This past spring you were drafted in the early rounds of the NFL during a lock-out.  You have no contract and have made no money, so what do you do?

Do you train, play horse, play softball or even mini golf? One injury and you lose millions of dollars. I have not had the privilege of ever playing sports on a major level, but last year I tore my ACL playing flag football. I am still recovering from surgery and have to watch my friends play football and it eats at me. I am not a huge softball player, but watching my buddies play that and I want to get out there and run around.

I know my chain of thought would be different with millions of dollars on the line, but how much different? I bet people who played competitive sports growing up can relate. It’s the competitiveness in us that takes over and get’s us back on the field. For better or worse we convince ourselves nothing will happen or I am healthy enough to return no problem. So what would you do or not do?

Top 5 Sports Personalities I follow on Twitter

I don't follow a lot of people on Twitter around 200 and in the past I have touched on Athletes using Twitter and Chad Ocho Cinco . Here I am going to give you the top 5 people I follow on Twitter, this includes people I believe are the most informative,do not constantly promote products and usually respond to tweets. A lot of athletes and sports personalities either disappear or delete their accounts when the going gets tough as Terrelle Pryor has been pretty quiet lately.Some just post from time to time.  These 5 are constantly posting and offer good insight...

5 - Chad Ocho Cinco - You know he had to make the list but surprisingly Chad is the only athlete that made my top 5. Chad can relate to his followers and does not disappear down the stretch. He has discussed his contract with the Bengals, Marvin Lewis and Carson Palmer on Twitter to his followers. It is probably not the best approach but you have to respect him for it.

4 - Adam Schefter -  Schefter is one of many ESPN personalities you can find on Twitter. He is also one of the most accurate. I found that a lot of times that reporters are so quick to try and break a story they post any piece of info they get and a lot of it never happens or is flat out wrong. Adam takes his time with his stories to make sure they are accurate, he also takes a lot of time to re-tweet for charities and good causes.

3 - Darren Rovell - Darren is a sports business reporter and always comes up with some amazing stats and numbers for all sports, but he is also funny with his comments on the days big stories not just sports.

2 - Jason Whitlock - Jason writes some of the best material out there. He constantly goes against the grain and not afraid to call out big names. He was one the first people to jump on SI for claiming to break the Ohio State news and take credit for Tressel losing his job. I don't always agree with his columns but I respect them and they make you think, that is the sign of a good writer.

1 - Jay Glazer - Jay is in a class of his own with NFL inside info and breaking NFL news. I can't recall a time when he missed on any report, though I am sure he has it is very rare. He does not report fluff and only reports real news. Some writers are stretching the NFL lockout info every day and Jay only writes about it if there is something of real substance. Be warned that Jay does pimp "Perfect Punch" and "Subway" from time to time but he does not shove it down your throat and from what I read "Perfect Punch" is a great product. Jay has one of best relationships with NFL personnel and it allows him to info others are late or never get to break, for this Jay Glazer is at the top of my list.

More Free Fights...

At what point will the UFC start offering more free fights? The UFC currently host one, but sometimes two PPV events a month and for the average fan that is $120 added to their cable bill. I am a huge fan of MMA and slowly have developed from a person who just wants to watch someone get knocked out to a more knowledgeable fan who understands the skills that it takes to compete. On the flip side we have seen some terrible fights over the years where fighters fail to engage and just dance around the ring for 3 rounds or the judges declare a “draw”. Sometimes we just don't feel like we get our monies worth from the events. With the acquisition of WEC and Strike Force the UFC should offer more free fights with larger names on the card. Their stable of fighters has grown so much over the years that in actuality they could charge for every fight and people would pay it. Maybe create a UFC channel and people could pay a monthly subscription for it like MLB and NFL network. I do appreciate that they do give 4 to 6 free fights throughout the year, but they could easily do more. Maybe scrap TUF and offer a weekly tournament “Bellator” style. There is a untapped market that the UFC is missing by charging for the major fights and not being aggressive after the casual fan.

Less Equals More

I read a couple weeks ago that MLB was thinking of adding another playoff team.Why? I think that MLB and the NFL have it right spot on with limited teams making the playoffs. The NBA and NHL water it down with some many teams in the playoffs.Yes more people watch but to say your team made the playoffs holds no value,it means nothing. In the NFL and MLB if your team makes the playoffs it has some value except for the Seattle Seahwaks. Im a Rockies fan so when they make the playoffs I am excited and on the flip side I am a Suns fan but could careless if they make the playoffs because almost every NBA team  does...

Just Make It Happen...

Every day I check out Twitter for the latest and greatest regarding the current NFL lockout and leave more confused. Anyone who personally knows me knows I follow football very close and for the current situation to confuse me is a issue. If I can't understand the problem then the average fan probably doesn't and will turn to other sports for enjoyment. Here is my question for the owners and players, If both parties are so concerned with getting a deal done how come you are not meeting everyday to make it happen? I don't want to listen to players like AP claim they are "modern day slaves" and I sure as hell don't want to listen billionaire owners complain about losing money. Nobody is losing money, it's about two greedy parties wanting more money. Nobody feels bad for the players or the owners, we just want our football...

Smell of Summer....

I've been away for awhile,but now I have returned. I was inspired on my way home  today by a fresh cut lawn that reminded me of baseball. Going to a live game is something everyone should experience atleast once. My first choice would be Fenway but even a minor league game would do. I'm a die hard football fan but there is something about walking up those stairs as you enter a baseball stadium and seeing that freshly cut grass, the aroma of the ballpark food and the official start of summer.