MVN - Most Valuable Network

Vikings Notes: Adrian Peterson Has Bling, Accepts His Nickname

*We learned two things about Adrian Peterson at the 2008 JB Awards: He wears amazing watches, and he doesn’t mind his “Purple Jesus” nickname. Click the link and scroll down a tad to see the impressive bling he was sporting at the event…as a warning, I’d recommend that you put on sunglasses before looking at his watch. And when asked about the nickname of “Purple Jesus” given to him by the Vikings faithful, Adrian said this to reporters: “I’m a Christian but if they want to call me that, I’ll let them do it.”

That’s good, because “AD” simply doesn’t compare to “Purple Jesus.” Rod Smart set the standard for athlete nicknames with “He Hate Me,” but “Purple Jesus” comes pretty damn close to topping that.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll continue cursing myself for not naming this blog “The Church of Purple Jesus.” Yes, that name would carry a fairly significant creepiness factor, but nevertheless, it would have been pretty cool.

*Mount McKinnie received a June 2nd trial date on charges that he assaulted a dude with a pole outside a Miami nightclub in late February. However, we have yet to receive word if he’ll be charged with getting his freak on with some lovely ladies at an unknown club — and having video of the evening posted on YouTube (if you haven’t seen that classic video yet, click the link and take a look. For those who enjoy footage of drunk chicks grinding with NFL offensive linemen, you won’t be disappointed).

If I was McKinnie, I’d book a nice hotel in Miami for the first few weeks of the season, and prepare myself to get acquainted with the area females while the Vikings begin their 2008 campaign. There’s no chance in hell he’s going to go unpunished by Goodell…and besides, there will surely continue to be a TON of speculation that this organization has run out of patience with Big Mac, and is looking to dump him.

As I said a couple days ago, I’d certainly stop short of taking an offensive lineman in the first round of the draft (DE’s the biggest need on this team, and it isn’t even close). But still, I’d imagine that the possibility of using a fairly high pick on an offensive lineman is on Spielman’s radar, as it’s easy to see that McKinnie’s run out of chances with the Vikes.

It’d be one thing if these nightclub shenanigans were out-of-character for McKinnie, and this alleged assault was merely the first time he got himself into any significant trouble. But that’s not the case.

And that fact alone is sure to work strongly against McKinnie. Just as the Vikings dumped a player with repeated instances of poor judgment in Dwight “Where’s the Nearest Stairwell?” Smith, they’re almost certainly examining potential ways to rid themselves of McKinnie (without downgrading significantly on the offensive line’s left side).

Things worked out well for the Vikings with Smith — after cutting ties with him, they inked Madieu Williams, a definite upgrade over Dwight. However, dumping McKinnie and finding a replacement left tackle on the trade market will be a much tougher challenge for the Vikes.

So, McKinnie probably won’t be leaving Minnesota any time soon. At this point in the ballgame, replacing him in time for the beginning of the 2008 season would simply be too difficult. I’d love to see him booted out the door, as I have little patience for players who repeatedly make poor decisions away from the field — but I doubt that’s a feasible option at the moment.

*On Friday, Pat Williams momentarily became a member of the Harlem Globetrotters, as he suited up for the ‘Trotters in their first of three weekend games at the Target Center. Would have loved to see that, since I’m sure Pat was dominant in the paint. Now, whether or not he can make any shots is another matter entirely, but in terms of his size and strength, he could definitely have his way with the feeble Washington Generals. For that matter, he could probably have his way in the post with a good chunk of the players in the NBA.

*We can all breathe a collective sigh of relief, as Bryant Gumbel announced on Friday that he’ll no longer be doing play-by-play duties for the NFL Network. Whew! With Gumbel departing from the channel, Thursday Night Football might actually be watchable next season.

Gumbel does excellent in-depth reports and interviews for Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, but he simply isn’t well-suited to do announcing work. I’d nominate Kevin Harlan to take over the play-by-play role for the NFL Network, but as a huge fan of his announcing work from 1990s Timberwolves broadcasts, I’m admittedly biased in the matter.

This entry was posted on Friday, April 11th, 2008 at 8:39 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.