Vikings clean house - 3 QBs to leave

Vikings to say goodbye to Case Keenum, Sam Bradford, Teddy Bridgewater

Excerpt:

The Vikings’ three free-agent quarterbacks are out of here.

According to multiple reports Tuesday, Sam Bradford will sign with the Arizona Cardinals, and CBSSports.com reported that Teddy Bridgewater is finalizing a deal with the New York Jets.

Case Keenum, Minnesota’s starter last season, agreed earlier in the day to a two-year, $36 million deal with the Denver Broncos; he is expected to sign Wednesday, the first official day of free agency.

The mass exodus by the three quarterbacks is logical considering the Vikings are on the verge of signing Kirk Cousins to a three-year, $84 million contract. The Vikings have been after Cousins for several weeks and only regarded Keenum, Bradford and Bridgewater as options if a deal for Cousins fell through.

Bradford will sign a deal worth $20 million for 2018 with an option year for 2019. After making $18 million in 2017 and playing in just two games because of knee issues, he actually gets a raise that would bring his career earnings to $134 million for his first nine NFL seasons.

After entering the season with a 9-15 career record as a starter, Keenum went 11-3 as a starter last season for the 13-3 Vikings and led them to the NFC Championship Game.

Bridgewater was expected to be the Vikings’ quarterback of the future after being taken with the last pick in the first round of the 2014 draft. He was the starter in 2014 and 2015 before suffering a torn ACL in the final preseason practice of 2016, and has played in just one game since.

Comment: Broncos will be tough with Case!

Vikings quarterback exodus: Case Keenum, Sam Bradford and maybe Teddy Bridgewater head out of Minnesota https://t.co/qeeTWLWfSj

— James Peet (@jrpeet) March 14, 2018

Vikings quarterback exodus: Case Keenum, Sam Bradford and Teddy Bridgewater head out of Minnesota https://t.co/qeeTWLWfSj

— James Peet (@jrpeet) March 14, 2018

Vikings # 1 in NFL Power Rankings

Vikings # 1 in NFL Power Rankings

Excerpt:

How do you keep the Vikings out of the top spot? They're the only undefeated team left, have beaten three playoff participants from last season and are allowing the fewest points per game in the NFL. What makes this new No. 1 even more fun: This our fifth different pole sitter of the young season. Minnesota smacked around the Texans on Sunday, giving Houston receivers little room to breathe while making Brock Osweiler look like a pedestrian quarterback. (Maybe he is a pedestrian quarterback.) The Texans went a combined 1 for 14 on third and fourth downs while totaling 214 yards of offense.

Comment: I wonder when the last time this occurred?! Not in my memory

Wells Fargo responds to Vikings "photo-bomb" suit

Wells Fargo to Vikings: Our signs are just fine

 Excerpt:

The Vikings’ position “belies common sense and the purpose of the signage. A sign is made to be seen,” according to the response signed by Lindquist & Vennum lawyers Christopher Grote and Brian Freeman.

The response notes the Vikings’ claim that “raised lettering and illumination of the signage irreparably injures them somehow by distracting from the image of the new stadium.” Wells Fargo’s attorneys call that a “never-before-recognized form of irreparable injury.”

The argument revolves around two signs, 56 feet by 56 feet, on the rooftops of the two 17-story towers. The red-and-gold signs have “Wells Fargo” in letters raised about 1-1/2 feet above the roof surface. The signs have not yet been lighted.

At the heart of the dispute is the multimillion dollar issue of branding. U.S. Bank has paid the Vikings undisclosed millions to put its name on the new stadium to promote the brand in widely broadcast events, including the 2018 Super Bowl. While U.S. Bank isn’t a party to the legal dispute, the Vikings presumably want to protect the value of the naming rights. The Vikings claim the signs would permanently “photo-bomb” the image of “iconic” U.S. Bank Stadium, which they emphasize is a public investment to be protected.

Comment: Full 39 page response here.

Vikings Stadium inspired by the Jawa Sandcrawler?

Reading the comments associated with this article ...

Minnesota Vikings say Wells Fargo's new rooftop signs near U.S. Bank Stadium are too big and bright:

... the new USBank stadium looks like Darth Vader took over Noah's ark; now i wish the Wells Fargo towers were prettier. in both cases, it isn't the signage makin' 'em ugly; the building aren't exactly belles of the architectural ball.

AND

So what if the Jawa Sandcrawler gets photo bombed.

Edward Fashingbauer's final request

Edward Joseph FASHINGBAUER

Excerpt:

Ed joined the Marines during World War II, taking part in the Battle of Okinawa, the largest amphibious assault of the Pacific War. Ed later said that war movies showing beautiful palm trees waving over a tropical beach were all Hollywood, for during the war, he never saw a palm that wasn't shattered. Ed was a businessman by day, but came home to his White Bear Lake farm by night, hung up his suit jacket and threw hay to his horses. He never met a piece of wood he couldn't craft into something beautiful, had a soft spot for any and all animals, and stayed loyal to Minnesota sports teams in bad times and in worse. He would've liked the Minnesota Vikings to be his pallbearers, so they could let him down one last time. Semper fi. -Published in Pioneer Press on June 22, 2014

Comment: Kathee saw in today's Star Tribune

Vikings ... "Embrace 'the suck'"

Week Seven Power Rankings

Jared Allen wants his teammates to “embrace the suck”

Comment: As soon as the new stadium is built ....

On "Secret Plans" to fund the Stadium

Dayton’s “secret plan” on Vikings funding taking shape at Capitol

AND

Governor's 'secret plan' for Vikes stadium funding may be revealed today

Excerpt:

The governor’s “secret plan” to replace revenues that were promised through e-pulltabs may be revealed today. At MPR, Tim Nelson reports: “The plan to boost Vikings stadium-bound revenue likely won’t include a sports memorabilia tax. That proposal appears dead. Supporter of the memorabilia proposal House Taxes chair Ann Lenczewski announced at a conference committee meeting that she’d opted to back the governor’s so-called ‘secret’ plan to make up for the shortfall in gambling tax revenues. … [She said], “The (revenue) commissioner will be telling people about that later… The House is going to give up the sports memorabilia approach and support the governor’s approach.” Let’s start a pool … Electronic bake sales? Online keno? Sports cliche bingo?

Comment: It seemed obvious that the Pull-Tabs was a foolish guess

Here's the church, here's the steeple...open the giant doors...

Vikings unveil stadium design: What do you think?

These comments basically sum up my view!

On the hook

Public on hook for Vikings stadium overruns

Excerpt:

The agreement to build a new Minnesota Vikings football stadium in Minneapolis features a key difference from the plan to build the project in Ramsey County and even from the Minnesota Twins' new Target Field. Once it is built, any Vikings stadium operating cost overruns ultimately will be the public's responsibility. And not just overruns. The public will be legally obligated to maintain the stadium "in a manner that is first-class and consistent with comparable" National Football League stadiums -- a clause that could translate into substantial future costs

Comment: Once again demonstrates that MN legislators are not really representing the people. Agents of the NFL and the Vikings!

Electronic pull-tabs: Revenue Reality Check

Can electronic pull-tabs pull in enough stadium revenue?

Excerpt:

A major pillar of the Vikings stadium proposal unveiled last week is tax revenue from an expansion in charitable gambling. But such a financing plan has lots of unknowns — and one key question: Will the introduction of electronic gambling gizmos generate enough income to repay the bonds?

The financing proposal depends on electronic pull-tabs supplying funds to repay $398 million in bonds the state plans to float to build the facility. (Minneapolis will back another $150 million in bonds with sales taxes, pending City Council endorsement to the financial arrangement.

The entire public financing plan, Gov. Mark Dayton said last week, wouldn't use "a single dollar of general fund tax revenues.")

Minnesota already allows paper pull-tabs. To win cash prizes, players match pictures on the front of the cards they purchase, usually for $2 each, under tabs that they tear off. Bars and restaurants sell them on behalf of nonprofits, and the proceeds -- minus the prize money, expenses and taxes -- go to charity. Among those who benefit in Minnesota: American Legion posts, VFW groups and others who use the money to support local sports leagues, scholarships and the like.

Comment: I'm not particularly naive but until pull tabs were recently explained to me, I didn't even know what they were. Sounds like a giant waste of time and money! The linked article examines the dubious propects of the electronic pull tab revenue source. A must read because if this stream fails, all Minnesotans will be holdlng the bag for the Vikings stadium

Vikings Stadium: Make Wimpy Pay!

Republicans: Vikings should only get loan for new stadium

Republicans: Vikings should only get loan for new stadium

Excerpt:

Saying that they had the only Minnesota Vikings stadium plan that could pass the Legislature, three Republican senators offered a plan Thursday that would limit any direct public subsidy to the team to a $300 million loan.

The proposal -- which the Vikings and Gov. Mark Dayton quickly dismissed -- took the stadium debate at the state Capitol in an entirely different direction: Arguing that the team should only be offered minimal assistance and nothing beyond what other businesses could expect.

The three senators, led by Sen. Roger Chamberlain, R-Lino Lakes, said that the state should not be involved in whether the stadium had “gold-plated tile” and needed to cost $1 billion.

The Legislature “shouldn’t have an interest in whether they build a stadium with a roof or astro-turf, or how many suites they have, or whether it’s in Ramsey County,” said Sen. David Hann, R-Eden Prairie, a co-author of the proposal. “Those are things that the business itself ought to work out with local communities who have interest in hosting that site.”

Comments: My view. Make Zygi Wilf (Wimpy!) pay for it! Color image from No More Wimpy Government. Info on the sponger Wimpy here!

How'd the refs miss this?

Lions barely beat Vikings 34-28 on final play

Excerpt:

DeAndre Levy had a fist full of Joe Webb's facemask, got away with it, and wasn't apologizing for Detroit's good fortune in a 34-28 win over Minnesota on Sunday.

"We get a lot of calls called against us," the Lions linebacker said. "So, they owed us one if I did."

Detroit (8-5) is still in prime position in the NFC wild-card race. Barely.

Webb had the Vikings a yard away from a potential winning touchdown on the game's final snap, but the backup quarterback fumbled just before Levy's right hand tugged his facemask, and a penalty wasn't called.

Comment: Not that it matters ... the seasons been over for a while!

What do the Vikings referendum and the Greek referendum have in common?

Dayton: No referendum exemption support for Vikings stadium

Excerpt:

In a troubling move for a new Minnesota Vikings stadium, Gov. Mark Dayton announced Tuesday that there was not enough legislative support to exempt either Ramsey County or Minneapolis from having a referendum to increase local sales taxes for the project.

Dayton said he and Republican legislative leaders, including Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch and House Speaker Kurt Zellers, came to the conclusion following a meeting last Friday. Without a legislative exemption, the governor said in a statement, the earliest a referendum could be held in either Ramsey County or Minneapolis would be November 2012.

The announcement could effectively derail a plan to have Ramsey County contribute $350 million to a new $1.1 billion stadium in Arden Hills through a countywide sales tax increase. Stadium proponents have argued that without a legislative exemption – like the Minnesota Twins had in Hennepin County in building Target Field in downtown Minneapolis – the Vikings stadium project would likely be scuttled by voters.

Comment: Answer: Both will fail!

Give Zygi Wilf the Metrodome .... take it or leave it!

Vikings stadium: Let's inject fiscal sanity into the debate

Excerpt:

Zygi Wilf and the Vikings are attempting to make their Ramsey County stadium deal sound like a run-of-the-mill, routine proposal. It is not. The Vikings are asking for the No. 1, all-time, biggest taxpayer subsidy of any sports franchise anywhere in American history!

At a time when many families are struggling to pay their bills, the Vikings and their political allies want Minnesotans to put up more taxpayer money than any other community ever — think about that — to subsidize a team owner.

...

Giving the Metrodome to the Vikings is not a perfect solution, but one that reflects fiscal responsibility and fairness for both the Vikings and the taxpayers of Minnesota. We are by no means alone in wanting a fair resolution. Minnesota voters oppose the use of public money for a new Vikings' stadium by more than 3 to 1 (22 percent favor using public funds, 74 percent oppose). Yet the Ramsey County Board and some state officials are talking seriously of a taxpayer subsidy of over $650 million.

...

... let's compare this Metrodome transfer proposal to the Los Angeles options. The best of the Los Angeles stadium proposals is to give Zygi Wilf the land on which to build his own stadium, at his expense. We would give him the land with a stadium already on it, and he could improve, enhance, or rebuild it as he desires.

Los Angeles offers no public subsidy. We offer no public subsidy.

...

This Minnesota option is a reasonable, competitive alternative. And, under our proposal Wilf avoids a $250+ million NFL "relocation fee," and he gets to keep his integrity and a truly loyal fan base.

At a time when most Americans, including people from Occupy Wall Street and the Tea Party, are angry at outrageous corporate bailouts, some politicians want to force Minnesotans to pay for the biggest corporate subsidy in sports history. That's incredible.

Comment: Seems like a reasonsable approach.

Vikings Stadium: Let the people vote!

Referendum could be deal-breaker - Politicians are messing up the Vikings' stadium proposal, and the team would move if it falls through.

Excerpt:

The Vikings have done a lot of work to convince politicians in the Legislature of the benefits of the stadium and to vote in favor of it. The Wilf family is putting in more money to build the stadium than most other franchises have contributed that have recently built new facilities. But we still have Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch and House Speaker Kurt Zellers calling for a referendum in Ramsey County on the proposed half-percent sales tax needed to fund the stadium.

I suggest Koch check with her Buffalo constituents on how she would fare in a future election if the Vikings, who are in the last year of their Metrodome lease, decide to move to Los Angeles or some other place if they can't finalize this deal.

I agree with Ramsey County Commissioner Tony Bennett, who has been pushing hard for the Arden Hills site, that a referendum would kill the stadium proposal. And if there wasn't a referendum for the Twins' Target Field, which has been such a major success, why have one for the Vikings stadium?

If a referendum took place and voters defeated the tax-increase proposal, believe me, it's a cinch the Vikings would move. The team would be stuck in the Metrodome with no chance to take in the necessary revenue to compete with other teams.

All signs point to two teams moving to Los Angeles to play in their proposed new downtown stadium. The Vikings could be one of them.

Comment: Sid Hartman at it again.

Good thing he can play football ....

Brinkley uses lockout to earn degree

Excerpt:

Vikings middle linebacker Jasper Brinkley left the University of South Carolina one class short of earning his degree.

Brinkley wanted to return to school after his rookie season but the Vikings advanced to the NFC Championship game so that made it impossible. But with the NFL headed toward a lockout this offseason, Brinkley figured the time was right to return to school and get his degree.

"I wanted to take advantage of the extra time that I had," Brinkley said. "It was always something that I felt like was hanging over my head and I wanted to get it done. The lockout gave me the opportunity."

Brinkley accomplished his goal when he graduated last weekend with a degree in African-American Studies with a concentration in social work. Brinkley took part in the graduation ceremony held in South Carolina's basketball arena.

"It means a lot for the simple fact that when I left [school] I left with a goal to not only be able to live my dream of playing in the National Football League but at the same time be able to come back and finish up my degree," he said. "A lot of guys go to college and getting their degree is not their main objective, but it was one of mine. It was one of my goals that I was able to reach and hopefully I'll continue to reach the other goals that I have set."

Comment: Because I'm not exactly sure what the career prospects are for this major! (I wonder if there is a Caucasian -American Studies major?!)

Vikings Stadium: Hennepin opts out!

Opat: Hennepin County won't pursue Vikings stadium

Excerpt:

The county board chair told Gov. Mark Dayton in a letter that Hennepin, unlike its backing of a sales tax for Target Field, won't be a local partner in the football stadium purusit.

...

A stadium bill introduced last month divides the cost of a new stadium -- estimated at $700 million and $900 million -- three ways between the state, the team and an unnamed local partner. Many stadium backers had hoped that Hennepin County would fill that spot.

Opat spearheaded the county's efforts five years ago to pass a sales tax to help build Target Field for the Minnesota Twins. Opat has been openly skeptical about prospects for a similar partnership with the Vikings, but he has kept the door open in ongoing discussions with state leaders and team officials.

In his letter to Dayton, Opat said proposed state cuts for Hennepin County Medical Center and social service programs, lack of enthusiasm for the project among legislators and insufficient time taken to develop "a thoughtful proposal" led to his decision to halt further explorations.

"In time of severe cuts proposed to local governments and to the services we provide, it is too burdensome for Hennepin County to act as a local partner for the Vikings stadium," Opat wrote.

Comment: Other options: Minneaopolis (the city that can't manage to plow city streets in a timely way) or Ramsey County. A good day for Hennepin County taxpayers!

9th things 1st: Stadium bill higher priority than the budget!

Dayton: Vikings stadium bill could come before budget-balancing deal

Excerpt:

Gov. Mark Dayton said Wednesday he would be open to signing a Minnesota Vikings stadium bill before the budget is done.

Lawmakers have introduced bills to get the Vikings a new stadium, but there haven’t been any hearings on the issue yet.

Dayton said he has been in constant contact with Chairman of the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission Ted Mondale about a new stadium. He said, as he has before, that a new stadium would be “very worthwhile project" and could create jobs.

Dayton said lawmakers shouldn't expect a possible new stadium to be a “bargaining chip” that Republicans could use against him as budget negotiations loom. Finding a workable solution for team, he said, rest squarely with with the Legislature.

“If we don’t have a stadium and the Vikings leave, that’s their responsibility not mine,” Dayton said.

Comment: The Vikes could play in Iowa for all I care! Balance the budget first!

The LA Trump Card

California scheming: NFL has been brilliant in using LA to get stadiums built

Excerpt:

Los Angeles lost its two NFL teams, the Rams and the Raiders, the same year, 1995. Since then, not including teams that would never move (the New York teams, Dallas, Pittsburgh) and the five expansions teams, 10 NFL teams have gotten new stadiums, and most of them had the threat of "you'd better build a top notch stadium, or else LA!" hanging over the host city. Recently, the threats from the NFL have become more ominous as developers insist they want to bring two teams to LA. Coincidently, four NFL team owners are looking for new stadiums: San Diego, Buffalo, Jacksonville and our own Vikings. My guess is the NFL felt the potential of one team moving wasn't enough to scare all four cities into action.

Comment: Goes like this: "If you won't build a stadium, we will move". And some people think ... "Minnesota won't be Minnesota without the Vikings". Well life will go on. Zygi Wilf needs to put up much more than he has so far voiced.

LA bargaining chip

Metrodome collapse inflates LA discussion

Excerpt:

Los Angeles is a more valuable property without a team than with a team, as existing teams having stadium issues can always point to the West and the second-largest market in the country sitting without an NFL tenant.

Comment: Despite a 6 billion dollar two-year budget deficit, the Minnesota legislature will vote for a new stadium. Gamblers (fools) and taxpayers (fools if we support it!) will fund it (because it just wouldn't be Minnesota without them!)