What Are The Vikings Doing?

Posted on March 12, 2013 by reggietales

Percy Harvin

Sidney Rice

Nate Burleson

Randy Moss

If someone knows what the Vikings are doing, will you please let me know? For a team with the most pathetic receiving corps in modern-day football, they sure are in a hurry to get rid of the only semblance of talent they have.

Are we supposed to believe that the player the Vikings get with Seattle’s number 25 pick will be as good or better than Harvin? The Vikings will paint Harvin as a malcontent and a loose cannon. And he probably has reason to be. As he laid it on the line for the last three years, he watched as Minnesota gladly threw money at the Chicago Bears castoff receivers. Money that would have been better spent on Harvin.

The Vikings are about $18 million below the salary cap. It will be interesting to see what they do with it. But for the time being, I will assume they are looking at the Bears roster and waiting for them to dump one of their pathetic receivers.

Random Thursday

Posted on January 10, 2013 by reggietales

*I’m surprised at the Oscar snubs of Ben Affleck and Quentin Tarantino.

*With Minnesota out of the playoff picture, I think I’m going to throw my support behind Peyton Manning, Chris Kuper and the Denver Broncos. Good to see Kuper back in the lineup.

*Reggie Tales shout out to Justin at Judy’s World Famous Tavern.

*The Minnesota and UND hockey series next weekend in Minneapolis is going to be a good one.

*If you like a good television story like I like a good television story, you won’t want to miss TV’s David Schwab’s story tonight about a 102 year old Grafton woman who happens to be a bowling phenom. You can also check it out on wdaz.com later tonight.

*Bonus shout out to the great people at Amazing Grains. If you haven’t had soup or a sandwich from AG, you’re missing out.

*I bought new tires for my vehicle at Wal-Mart this week. I could write a sitcom based on the experience. And I could easily get eight episodes out of it.

Now We Know Why

Posted on January 7, 2013 by reggietales

Somewhere, Sage Rosenfels is smiling. Heck, he might have even passed out from laughing.

Rosenfels was the quarterback the Vikings deemed dispensable because Joe Webb was going to be their backup.

Well, now we know why Leslie Frazier never pulled Christian Ponder at any point during the season. And there was probably two or three times when he should have. The Vikings inability to judge quarterback talent is as comical as Joe Webb attempting a forward pass.

Once the Green Bay Packers realized that Webb was a one trick pony, they directed all their defensive efforts to Adrian Peterson. And somehow, Peterson still managed to gain 99 yards with everyone in the stadium trying to tackle him.

I’m guessing the Vikings don’t let their backup quarterbacks throw any passes in practice. Otherwise, how could they knowingly stay with Webb in that role the entire year?

Reggie Tales tried to contact Sage Rosenfels for a comment, but he was laughing so hard he couldn’t talk.

I Guess I Was Wrong

Posted on December 31, 2012 by reggietales

In late October we here at The Tales said the Vikings would miss the playoffs by one game. The game in question was the atrocious loss to the lowly Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Well, I was almost right.

By beating the Packers yesterday, the Vikings find themselves in a rather strange position: the playoffs. PLAYOFFS? Did you say PLAYOFFS?

To be sure, it was a very good win. And so was the win at Houston. In fact, I had more confidence in the Vikings beating Green Bay than I did in them defeating the Texans.

But as a long suffering Minnesota fan, I’ve seen this movie before. Suck us in with a late season run. Get our hopes up. Actually start believing a little. Heck, even play the Packers close on Saturday night with a chance to win at the end. And then…well…I think most of us over the age of 20 know how this will end.

And for the record, I still don’t think Christian Ponder is the answer. He might be the luckiest little guy I’ve ever seen. I did enjoy that the coach actually showed some emotion yesterday. I used to think he was one of those wax figures you see in Vegas. Also for the record, I used to have a healthy dose of respect for Aaron Rodgers, but man, does he whine after every play?

With that said, we here at The Tales predict a 31-24 Green Bay win on Saturday. But I’ve been wrong before.

Dick Stockton

Posted on November 13, 2012 by reggietales

I can only assume that Dick Stockton is a nice man. He seems friendly enough. And I know he’s done play by play on many big time sporting events as a broadcaster.

But following the Vikings/Lions game on Sunday, I think he might want to consider retiring. In fact, I’m surprised that FOX hasn’t made that decision for him.

I’m not sure what was more alarming: his lack of knowledge of basic rules or his inability to remember who was playing and who was winning the game at any given time. He seemed lost, and when he realized he’d made a mistake, he concocted back stories to try cover his tracks. At times it was embarrassing.

At least the Vikings won. I think.

Typical Vikings

Posted on October 26, 2012 by reggietales

Any long suffering Vikings fan could have predicted last night’s debacle. It was so typical that I was unable to yell or throw a single thing in my home. I’ve actually become comfortably numb with games like that. The one question I have, that no one has ever, ever answered for me, is: How do performances like last night transcend from year to year, team to team, coach to coach, owner to owner, decade to decade? How?

A guy I work with at the TV station, (I’ll call him Jeff, because that’s his name. I’m not sure what he does here, but I once saw him change the combination locks on the back door of the building) asked me a couple weeks ago why I never blog about the Vikings. I told him it was because they aren’t that good and that their bubble would soon burst. Keep in mind, I’m a Vikings fan. I realize that being realistic is not a normal trait for a Vikings fan.

I could spend hours detailing what’s wrong with this team. But I won’t. Suffice it to say that Christian Ponder is a below average quarterback in a league in which almost every team has an above average quarterback. Also, if you take Percy Harvin out of the equation, Minnesota’s receivers are a joke. It’s embarrassing. Add in a punter that kicks the ball 31 yards and a coaching staff incapable of making in-game adjustments, and there you have it.

When the end of the season rolls around, and the Vikings are one win shy of the playoffs, remember this loss to a very talented and tough Tampa Bay team. Wink.

Vikings Game

Posted on October 23, 2012 by reggietales

I attended my first Vikings game since the 1998 NFC Championship game on Sunday. Here are a few observations.

*Times have changed. The entire scene is a circus. The game itself is just part of the equation.

*I would estimate that the Vikings made $7 million in beer sales alone on Sunday. And before any of you smart alecks insert a joke here, I didn’t contribute to that total. I was actually trying to watch the game.

*When I watch football at home, I flip to another game during a commercial. At the dome, you actually have to sit there and wait for the TV timeout to be over. It seems like there are a lot of stoppages.

*The majority of the crowd participated in “doing the wave” at a crucial point in the second half. While the Vikings had the ball. I still haven’t figured that out yet.

*I saw a lot of Kleinsasser jerseys in the crowd.

*If someone asks you if you’d like to go to the VIP Tent before the game, say, “Yes.” Nothing like Prime Rib on a Sunday morning.

Random Sports Notes

Posted on September 25, 2012 by reggietales

*During the crazy finish of the Packers and Seahawks game last night, Jon Gruden said a couple of very funny things. First, he said he was so upset about the officiating that he wanted to jump from the press box. Later, he said that the Packers weren’t going to enjoy their “6,000 mile flight home.”

*In 50 years, Andy Pettitte could come off his deathbed and throw a three-hitter against the Minnesota Twins.

*The Green Bay defensive back should have knocked that pass down last night instead of trying to catch it.

*$300 million was wagered on the Packers/Seahawks game in Vegas. 68% of the people bet on Green Bay.

*Why wasn’t Adrian Peterson in at the end of the game for the Vikings on Sunday?

Random Thursday

Posted on September 6, 2012 by reggietales

*The NFL is an offensive, pass happy, high scoring league. And I don’t think the Vikings have nearly enough offense to compete. In watching the Giants and Cowboys last night it became obvious how far Minnesota has to go to catch up.

*New Guy started here last week and seems to be doing a nice job.

*Reggie Tales shout out to Kurt at Union Lake.

*I miss the Bronze Boot.

*I’ve always been of the opinion that a Zorbaz in Grand Forks would perform quite nicely. And a Panera Bread. And might as well add a Chipotle to that list while we’re at it.

*I wish there was a Wednesday or Thursday night game every week during the NFL season.

Adrian Peterson Incident

Posted on July 11, 2012 by reggietales

Let me preface my thoughts with this: I am not blindly defending Adrian Peterson in regards to his incident last weekend at a bar in Houston. But I do have a few questions that I would like to see answered.

*Peterson was arrested for “resisting arrest.” What was he originally being arrested for?

*Wouldn’t a bar have several video cameras? Seems like they might paint a pretty good picture of what actually happened.

*Three off duty Houston police officers were working as security at the club. Were they in uniform? Did they identify themselves as Houston police officers?

*Did Peterson struggle for extra yards when the police officers attempted to tackle him? And did he fumble his drink?