MVN - Most Valuable Network

A Winfield Rumor, And Some Vikings Positivity

For a minute, I was intrigued by this rumor:

If the Vikings trade outspoken cornerback Antoine Winfield, the Patriots, who have two first-round draft picks next spring, would seem a logical destination. New England cornerback Asante Samuel, by the way, is holding out for more guaranteed money.

But unfortunately, here’s where I found that rumor: The ”Don’t Print That” section of Charley Walters’ column.  So basically, this rumor is total speculation.

Winfield isn’t going anywhere, unless he demands a trade.  Otherwise, there’s no reason for the Vikings to trade him…his “outspoken” nature is a terrible reason to deal him, especially because he’s a team leader.  Is Winfield a distraction?  Maybe, but I just don’t view him as a big enough problem to justify a trade.

Elsewhere, Kevin Brown is spreading some positivity at Vikings Update (thanks for the heads up, Fanhouse):

The Vikings’ five most recent first-round draft picks, for various reasons, were largely unproductive in 2006 [AP, Greenway, Troy, Erasmus, and Udeze].

Will all five players step up and have true first-rounder impact for the Vikings in 2007?  Maybe not, but the likelihood of increased productivity over 2006 is very, very likely.  And even if two or three emerge as impact players it will make a big, big difference.  Perhaps the difference between 6-10 and 10-6 (or better)?

Eh, dunno about that.  But he’s right, there’s reason to be optimistic about this team, because for much of that group, there’s nowhere to go but up.

I’m feeling especially good about Troy’s chances for a productive season.  His work ethic has been solid this offseason, and the folks at Nike discovered that one of his eyes is weaker than the other.  So now that the vision issue should be taken care of, Troy just needs to get some confidence back.

Easier said than done…last year, Troy had 11 drops (third-most in the NFL), the fans were booing him, and his role in the offense decreased throughout the season.  I agree with the article…if he can gain some confidence, he could have a breakout season.

Links:

*Check out the Pacifist Viking for fantasy football team previews.  Also be sure to read his stuff on bad sports writing.

*Nice!  Finally, another Vikings site that’s feeling good about T-Jack.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 13th, 2007 at 7:18 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.