After investigating the incident, the Vikings front office questions the details reported by Florida newspapers following Bryant McKinnie’s arrest in February outside a Miami nightclub. People close to the left tackle have said the whole thing was blown out of proportion. And you can be sure that if the Vikings thought they would lose McKinnie to a lengthy suspension, they certainly would have been more active in the draft for an offensive lineman. McKinnie has a hearing coming up in Miami and will meet with NFL officials after that.

OK, as an illustration of why Sid’s points are garbage, I’ll share a quick story from last month…

I received a press pass from the Timberwolves to cover their final game of the season for T’Wolves Blog, and although I wasn’t granted access to the locker room, I was able to attend Randy Wittman’s postgame press conference. Sitting in front of me was none other than Grandpa Sports, who asked his usual stale, mundane questions during the presser. That’s not the noteworthy part; the noteworthy part is what happened when Wittman walked off the podium.

Grandpa Sports rushed up to Wittman as the coach was exiting the media room, asking Witt if he’d have time for an interview in the coming days. I’ve never seen an 88-year-old move as fast as Sid did when he tried to arrange this exclusive one-on-one chat…I’m roughly one-fourth of Sid’s age, and would be hard-pressed to move so swiftly. Indeed, if I had rushed the coach as Sid did, I would have been quickly hauled off by Target Center security.

I laughed with some members of the media about Sid’s ambush of Coach Wittman, but this does display that Grandpa Sports makes all the right moves in maintaining his high level of access with the teams of the Twin Cities. So, as a general rule of thumb, take everything he says with a grain of salt. This guy will make the subjects of his columns look a helluva lot better than they actually are to remain on good terms with the higher-ups in the local sports scene.

Here’s my translation of Sid’s McKinnie update: “After investigating the incident, the Vikings front office quickly realized that McKinnie will face harsh punishment from the league, but wants to persuade fans that everything will be fine and dandy for their embattled lineman. People close to the left tackle are trying to help cover McKinnie’s ass by saying that the whole thing was blown out of proportion.

And even though the Vikings realize they’ll lose McKinnie to a lengthy suspension, they didn’t want to reach for an offensive lineman in the second round of April’s draft, and character issues scared them away from Carl Nicks in the later rounds. McKinnie has a hearing coming up in Miami and will meet with NFL officials after that, where Roger ‘The Enforcer’ Goodell will lay down the law. It won’t be pretty.”

*Although I begged and pleaded ABC to let me be a contestant for the upcoming season of The Bachelorette, my efforts came up empty — unfortunately for me, the show had already filled its quota of Minnesotan contestants after they selected former Viking Ryan Hoag to be one of the 25 males vying for DeAnna Pappas. It’ll be interesting to see if the Gustavus grad has the right stuff when the show premieres next Monday.

……So, did I getcha? No? Dammit…another failed Rick Roll attempt. Whelp, I’ll keep trying — we’ve got a couple months to fill until training camp gets underway, so be prepared for a Rick Rolling when you least expect it.

*Let’s get things started with the news of Koren Robinson’s departure from Green Bay. This move was an expected one, as a youth movement is fully underway with the Packers’ receiving corps.

With this release comes another setback for Koren’s attempted revival of his career. And that’s a shame, because this guy is clearly facing some demons that have resurfaced at terrible times for him — I mean, he received a Pro Bowl bid after the 2005 season and was being handed a very prominent role on offense for the Vikings in 2006 (he was slated to become the #1 receiver), but his arrest for fleeing police in August of 2006 quickly ended his brief stay in Minnesota.

Call him a screwup. Call him a drunk that will never make a complete comeback. Call him a lost cause. Whatever you want to call him, just be aware that he kept his nose clean throughout his two seasons in Green Bay, and is making an honest attempt to turn his life around.

Of course, it’s fair to mention that we’ve heard all of this before. When he first arrived to Winter Park, we heard that he was winning a battle with alcoholism and was getting his life together after being arrested for drunk driving in May of 2005. Things clearly took a tragic turn for him after a strong season in Minnesota.

While the vast majority of teams will be too wary of Koren to take a chance on him, there will be a handful of squads that will be willing to give him an opportunity. Given the talent he possesses, he shouldn’t be out of work for too long.

Needless to say, Koren won’t be returning to his 2005 form anytime soon. That year, he provided the Vikings with an elite special teams threat — although his playing time on the offensive side of the ball was limited, he still made a tremendous impact as a kickoff returner and was one of the Purple’s standout players. Still, even though those days are long gone, I think he could be one of the better returners in the league if given the opportunity to contribute.

K-Rob’s name has been mentioned previously this offseason when the Vikings inked Jared Allen. Some fans drew parallels between the two guys, arguing that reports of Allen quitting drinking should be taken with a grain of salt. However, such comparisons are unfair to Allen; Jared is regarded as a partier who displayed very poor judgment by deciding to drive home after a night of drinking on a few occasions. I don’t mean to lessen the seriousness of the issues Jared has faced, but all indications suggest that his problems aren’t as severe as Koren’s.

Anyways, best of luck to K-Rob. He’s a well-intentioned man who deserves an opportunity to play; here’s hoping that he’ll fund such an opportunity sooner rather than later.

*I’m a few days late on this story, but Adam Schefter is reporting that Viking castoff Tyler Thigpen has a legitimate chance at winning Kansas City’s starting quarterback job. This news could signify one of two things : a) Tyler Thigpen is waaaay better than the Vikes thought when they released him last summer, or b) Brodie Croyle is a humongous question mark. I’m leaning towards the latter.

Not to take anything away from Tyler, but I had him pegged as a middle-of-the-road backup quarterback when I saw him perform in training camp and the preseason last year. Indeed, I don’t think we should be screaming at our front office for letting the next Tom Brady slip away — rather, this is simply an instance of a team (the Chiefs) taking a blind chance on a young quarterback because they are brutal at the QB position.

Hindsight is 20/20, but the Vikings brass almost certainly wishes that they’d kept Thigpen around. However, is he starter material in year two of his NFL career? That seems extremely doubtful. More than anything, I’m guessing Herm Edwards is using Thigpen to push Croyle through training camp and the preseason.

I do wish Chilly would have followed Herm’s lead by finding a quarterback to compete with Tarvaris in July and August, but at this point, that’s beating a dead horse.

*I talked to a couple Chiefs season ticket holders over the weekend, and they informed me that Jared Allen often faded during the course of a game — that is, he’d start strong, but would make a minimal impact in the fourth quarter. Can anyone confirm or deny this? I never had the opportunity to extensively watch the Chiefs last season (other than their Week Five match with the Vikes), and would be interested in hearing some takes on this.

Otis, a defensive end for the Vikings, spoke those chilling words in a video that was released on YouTube in late April. Looking directly into the camera, he argued to an audience of thousands that the death of his uncle was an instance of law enforcement officers taking their power too far.

Lernard Grigsby of Crest Hill, Illinois was pronounced dead on the morning of April 28th after a police officer fired two shots at his abdomen. Police were responding to a domestic disturbance call at Stateville Correctional Center near Joliet, where Grigsby was employed as a correctional officer. He allegedly became violent towards the officers, and attempted to grab a weapon from one of the officers. When this happened, one of the responding officers fired his shots.

At least, that’s the official story. While this account of the incident has been reported in such publications as the Chicago Tribune (click here for the Tribune’s article), the Grigsby family would beg to differ with that version of the story.

“They [the officers] responded to a domestic call, and basically, they wanted him [Lernard] to do something that he didn’t want to do, which was come outside. He wanted them to come in, and they dragged him outside. They beat him. There’s evidence of this because he had internal bleeding.”

Why did Otis decide to release this video?

“He’s always been a person first and football player second,” said Otis Grigsby Sr., the father of the Viking defensive end, in an interview with Vikings War Cry. “If he makes your team, he’s a tremendous person.”

According to Grigsby Sr., someone asked Otis Jr. to remove the video from YouTube because there was concern for the player’s safety; Otis Jr. complied, but the video had already catalyzed a passionate response from people on both sides of the issues of police brutality and racial profiling.

Grigsby Sr. was unaware of Otis Jr.’s intentions to speak out on YouTube, but is proud of the courage his son displayed by releasing the video. “I turned him over to independence a long time ago. He’s not afraid.” says Grigsby Sr. of Otis Jr.

“They beat him, and when he fought back, [one of the officers] shot him in his back. Shot him multiple times. My uncle was unarmed and unable to defend himself from gunshots, just like anyone else. Somehow, he made it to the hospital. Honestly, I really thought he was going to survive, I thought that he would make it. But…that didn’t work out.”

“What they reported isn’t correct,” said Grigsby Sr. when asked about his brother’s death. “I’m asking for an investigation.” He described Lernard as a giving person who regularly traveled from Chicago to Louisiana to aid his sister in caring for an autistic niece.

“From the time he was a kid, all he did was fight for rights,” Grigsby Sr. continued. “He was just a big-hearted person.” According to Grigsby Sr., Lernard was heavily involved in his union at the prison and traveled to Jena, Louisiana to show support for the Jena Six and participate in demonstrations.

Grigsby Sr. says he wants to set the record straight for people who believe his brother was the type of person who would “attack [the officers] simply when they got there arguing with him in his room on a morning when he was supposedly ready to go to sleep. There’s just more to this than that.”

“When my son came out with the video, he explained it the way I view it,” said Grigsby Sr.

Grigsby Sr. has sent out his story to various political figures in the state of Illinois. “I can’t see why the people I sent [inquiries about the shooting] to wouldn’t react, but if they don’t, then I’ll go to sleep tonight, wake up tomorrow and think of something else.”

“People need to know if [this story] is not covered correctly, then Lernard would have died in vain. Some things will hopefully come out in an investigation.”

He continues, “I have forgiven situations like this before and I will continue to forgive them…Mercy is something that we all get, but justice comes later.”

“Part of why I feel like I need to say something…is that this is not an issue that just hits my family. This is an issue that hits so many people. These things happen so many times. And if you actually pay attention to the things going on in the cities around you, these things do happen. And it needs to stop. These things happen, and people who do them get away with it.”

Both Grigsby Sr. and his son clearly believe that there are plenty of lessons to be learned from Lernard’s death.

“If profiling and things like that are taking place…then that’s what this is all about, to reveal the light,” said Grigsby Sr. “The internet has brought down many people.”

Furthermore, Grigsby Sr. echoes his son’s sentiment that “we need to scrutinize more how we hire” when it comes to law enforcement.

Why did Otis Jr.’s video attract so much interest? (Over 50,000 people have viewed it, at last count.)

“I just think it’s a movement,” said Grigsby Sr. “And I don’t think you can stop it — we can’t stop it anyway — so people should tell the truth, and I think people identify with [this story] because so many people have experienced it and are frustrated.”

When people viewed this story on the internet, “they could tell, I think, something genuine,” said Grigsby Sr.

“Someone who shoots another man in his back who is defenseless and unarmed should not walk this earth a free man. It just shouldn’t happen. You shouldn’t be allowed to enjoy freedom, you shouldn’t be allowed to experience life. This is a privilege, this society that we live in. Just because someone gave you a badge and a gun…you don’t have a right to do that.”

In the end, it is hard to predict if anything will come of the public comments by Otis Jr., and now his father. Still, one is left suspecting that the media reports haven’t told the complete story of Lernard’s death.

Regardless of your feelings about the issues raised by the Grigsbys, the request for an investigation seems entirely reasonable. As a member of the Vikings, Otis Jr. is one of ours, and his family deserves the dignity of knowing the truth about this shooting.

*Check back this weekend for an update on the death of Otis Grigsby’s uncle…I’ve been in contact with his family, and am currently preparing an article about the incident that will be posted by Saturday morning, at the very latest.

*TMZ tracked down some pretty funny pictures of Randy Moss “getting acquainted” with Miss Kentucky USA at a Kentucky Derby party. For me, the most disturbing part of these pictures isn’t the fact that Moss decided it would be a good idea to bend Miss Kentucky over and grind against her backside while a photographer snapped pictures — no, the most disturbing part is Randy’s strange-looking eyes in the second picture.

*Say what you want about Patrick Reusse, but I’ve always enjoyed his columns. Reading his articles brings back memories of listening to my grandpa rant semi-coherently about the follies of the Twin Cities’ sports scene…indeed, of all the folks who work for the Star Tribune’s sports department, Reusse’s certainly one of my favorites.

His column in Thursday’s paper is quite noteworthy because it discusses an extremely important issue in today’s sports media: As we progress further into the electronic age, what will become of newspapers?

The public can take or leave another Reusse column after roughly 8,000 of them, But if the Minnesota sports addicts don’t have Seifert, Zulgad, Christensen, Neal, Russo, Scoggins and Zgoda (to name a few) to get them the news, there will be a significant void.

And don’t kid yourself:

A doesn’t-cost-a-nickel, stand-alone Internet site is not going to have the quality of resources the Star Tribune has mustered for a rich sports section that lands on a doorstep.

I both agree and disagree with Reusse’s argument. On one hand, the access that beat writers possess for their particular teams can result in some great in-depth pieces that delve into the lives of the athletes on our favorite squads. Take, for instance, Judd Zulgad’s profile of Jaymar Johnson…in all honesty, Rusty, Chris and I would not have been able to write an article like that about Johnson, simply because we don’t have necessary access to provide such a thorough look at Johnson’s background and character.

However, locker room access is both a blessing and a curse. Here at Vikings War Cry (and every other Vikings blog), our complete and utter lack of access to the team gives us the ability to rip anyone we’d like, simply because we don’t need to concern ourselves about having our access revoked if we’re too harsh. Beat writers need to remain cozy with the squad they cover, and thus cannot provide unfiltered commentary of that team.

So, on the matter of newspaper reporting vs. internet reporting, Reusse is half correct. Beat writers will continue to be valuable, even as blogs continue to gain prominence in the sports media scene. Meanwhile, those of us without access to the team can provide pure, uncensored thoughts without fear of facing consequences from the franchise.

Bottom line: Although he makes good points about the value of newspaper reporting, Reusse is dismissing independent internet commentary far too easily. There’s room for both entities in sports media…I think we’ll be able to coexist.

*You’ve gotta love Jon Kitna. He recently made his annual unrealistic prediction for the Lions’ upcoming season, telling the USA Today, “We will be disappointed if we don’t win 10 games, because that will mean we’re not in the playoffs and that sucks.” So, you heard it here first: The Lions, and not the Packers, will provide the Vikings with the toughest competition for an NFC North title.

A suggestion to Kitna — shut your trap, stop making predictions that the perennially hopeless Lions will inevitably fail to achieve, and let your game do the talking.

As long as Matt Millen’s running the show in Detroit, the Lions will be nonfactors in the divisional race. Millen makes Kevin McHale look like Theo Epstein, and could hardly be more incapable of building a playoff-caliber team.

*Rotoworld reports that the Vikings will give Tyrell Johnson a chance as a nickel cornerback during training camp. This makes quite a bit of sense, as Marcus McCauley and Charles Gordon both experienced growing pains at the position last season. While this obviously isn’t Johnson’s natural position, this spot on the depth chart should be considered wide open, so it’s unsurprising that Johnson will be given an audition during training camp.

That being said, I wanted to send a big thank you out to all the readers of this site. We were the 12th highest-read site on MVN (which has a ton of sites) for the month of April. In the seven months that I’ve been writing for MVN, I can’t remember this site getting ranked that highly. Although I can’t remember what I did last week, either, so…you know (just kidding).

We (myself, Anthony and Ryan) work pretty hard to keep you informed and entertained on all things Vikings and to know that you guys are actually checking it out (whether you love it or hate it), that means a lot to us.

And keeping with the “good vibes” theme of this post, I wanted to pose a question to all you faithful readers: What would you like us to write about?

As I said in my review of Green Bay’s offseason, this time of year marks a dead zone for NFL activity and for people like Anthony, Ryan and myself (i.e. people with no actual access to the team), story ideas can be hard to come by.

We’ll try our best to keep the stories coming, but sometimes there are stories out there that people want to read that we just plain don’t think to write. That’s where you come in. If you have an idea, make sure to post it in the comments section. If it’s a cool idea, we just might write it up for you guys.

Either way, thanks again. We really appreciate your interest in what we do.

By offseason I mean how each team did in both free agency and the draft. I hate when writers give teams free agency grades and then give teams NFL Draft grades. It’s ridiculous. You have to look at the whole of a team’s offseason. Some teams put more focus on free agency while others find the draft more important.

Now that I’ve explained my criteria, what better place to get this going than with the defending division champion Green Bay Packers?

Enjoy.

Green Bay Packers

Quick refresher: Finished the regular season with 13-3 record, second best in the NFC; earned a first round bye; defeated the Seattle Seahawks 42-20 in an NFC Divisional Game at Lambeau Field before losing the NFC Championship Game to the (eventual World Champion) New York Giants at Lambeau in overtime by a 23-20 count.

Where they were heading into the offseason: A team that fell oh-so-short of reaching the Super Bowl, the Packers - the youngest squad in the NFL last season - looked to have very few holes to fill heading into the offseason. The green and gold needed to get a little younger at both cornerback and offensive tackle, for starters. Al Harris and Charles Woodson are perhaps the best corner tandem in the league, but both are on the wrong side of 30. Ditto for starting tackles Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher.

Tight end was also an area ripe for upgrade. Donald Lee had a breakout year in 2007 but Bubba Franks was either injured or ineffective for most of the season. For coach Mike McCarthy to be able to run more two tight end sets (as he’d probably like to do), the team needed to find a replacement for Franks.

Another big question mark was the future of defensive tackle Corey Williams. Williams had totaled 14 sacks for Green Bay over the past two seasons but was headed for free agency and some wondered if the Packers would pay big money to a rotational player.

The final question that need solving was whether or not quarterback Brett Favre was finally going to hang it up. Even if he did, though, the Pack seemed to be set at the position as they had been grooming Aaron Rodgers to take over QB duties for the past three seasons.

What happened in free agency: GM Ted Thompson answered the Williams question before free agency even started, first by placing the franchise tag on him, then trading him to the Cleveland Browns for a second round pick.

The Favre question was answered shortly after free agency began as the former three-time NFL MVP decided to finally call it a career. Mass confusion ensued in Green Bay. Mass parties ensued in the Twin Cities, Chicago and Detroit.

Outside of those two moves, however, the Packers did not do much in free agency. Not surprising, as Thompson is a notorious hater of the free agency period. The team made its only free agent move well after March 1 when it signed linebacker Brandon Chillar (St. Louis) to a two-year contract.

What happened in the draft: Green Bay became the youngest team in the league because Thompson is an avid believer in building through the draft. This year, he focused heavily on offense, using seven of the Packers’ nine picks on that side of the ball. Surprisingly, two of the team’s three first-day picks did not target major areas of concern as Green Bay selected wide receiver Jordy Nelson (Kansas St.) and quarterback Brian Brohm (Louisville). The Packers did get younger at cornerback, however, as they selected Patrick Lee (Auburn) in the second round.

Green Bay got what it hopes to be its tight end complement in round three when it selected Jermichael Finley (Texas). Other interesting day two selections include tackle Breno Giacomini (fifth round, Louisville), a player who could be groomed to replace Tauscher someday, and quarterback Matt Flynn (seventh round, LSU), a player who could serve as the team’s third-string quarterback this season.

Where they are now: The Packers were the youngest team in the league last season and Favre’s (at least for now) retirement - coupled with the team’s lack of activity in free agency - all but ensures they will hold that title again this season.

Nickelback and No. 2 tight end needed to be upgraded and Thompson and McCarthy, by using high picks on Lee and Finley, are going to - at least at first - leave the job to a pair of rookies. Could work well, could be a disaster.

And by drafting Brohm and Flynn, the organization is pretty much telling Favre that they are ready to start a new era, one that he will not be a part of.

The team didn’t really address offensive tackle so it must believe Clifton and Tauscher can stay healthy and get the job done for another year. They also didn’t really address defensive tackle after trading Williams, so the Packers must think their rotation from last year will be okay without him. For that to happen, last year’s first round pick, Justin Harrell, will have to make a big jump in year two.

All in all, the Packers had a solid - but not great - offseason. The team didn’t make any big moves (much to the chagrin of some fans who were hoping the Packers would make a play for a big name or two to really put them over the top), instead keeping with the steady-as-she-goes approach that has defined the Thompson era. Considering the results thus far, it’s kind of hard to argue with the man.

Offseason Grade: B

Former Vikings defensive end Darrion Scott was charged today with assaulting his son last week by holding a plastic dry cleaning bag over the kicking and crying boy’s head in his Eden Prairie townhome.

According to the criminal complaint filed today in Hennepin County District Court: The boy’s mother heard the boy’s muffled cries and found Scott holding the bag over the boy’s head on April 26. She said the boy was on his back on the floor, his legs kicking and the Scott was holding the bag tightly around the boy’s neck.

But wait! There’s a perfectly good reason for this! It was just a game!

Scott, 26, told police the two were playing with the bag, and he wanted to see whether the boy could get the bag off his head by himself.

Are. You. F***ing. Kidding. Me.

Remember the statement made by Tim DiPiero, Scott’s agent? You know, the one where DiPiero actually wrote this sentence: “Anyone who knows Darrion knows him to be a ‘big teddy bear’ type of guy.” Well, if ‘big teddy bears’ are known to suffocate children with plastic bags and then cover their ass by claiming it was all simply a game, then yes, you could appropriately characterize Darrion as a ‘big teddy bear.’

Elsewhere, ESPN The Magazine released their annual Fan Satisfaction Rankings of the 122 teams in the four major sports leagues, with the Vikings ranked as the 110th best team in professional sports for what they give back to the fans. Last year, the Vikes were ranked 119th — we’re movin’ on up, baby!

The categories of “coaching,” “fan relations,” and “stadium experience” killed the team’s ranking. Coaching and stadium experience need no explanation, but the fan relations category should probably be clarified: It is defined by the magazine as “Ease of access to players, coaches & management.”

And, indeed, the organization probably deserves its 116/122 ranking for fan relations. I’ve completely given up any attempts to score interviews with Viking players for this blog — I speak from experience when I state that the process of lining up player interviews is absolutely befuddling for someone who isn’t in the “mainstream media” and who doesn’t have any “connections.” (I realize I’m a lowly blogger, but I can’t get an interview with Todd Lowber? Give me a freaking break.)

Personal b*tching aside, it’s also clear that this organization places a low priority on having its players make public appearances. Take a look at the player appearance schedule on Vikings.com…lo and behold, it’s blank! What, you can’t get Chad Greenway to take a picture or two once in a while?

To clarify, I’m not knocking the charity work the players do; I’m simply arguing that the players and coaches could hardly be more distant from the average folks in the community. By no means am I claiming that the players and coaches need to act like they’re “one of us” — I’m just saying that, when your player appearance calender is blank, there’s an issue. When there is scant evidence of participation in the community by an organization, there’s an issue.

The Vikings will sell out every single home game next season. Ticket sales and television ratings have rarely been concerns for them. But from a public relations standpoint, they could be doing much better.

Resolution of the stadium issue is even more crucial when considering the other cities that have expressed interest in hosting a NFL team.  (Specific examples of such suitors would be Los Angeles and Toronto.)

Thankfully, the Vikings appear to be an unlikely candidate for relocation.  Zygi Wilf has stated publicly that moving the team is “not an option”.  (This is a far cry from the hard-nosed posturing of former owner, Red McCombs.)  He has also demonstrated through his willingness to spend on the team that he wants to build a championship-caliber team right here in Minnesota.  Additionally, the NFL has expressed a desire to help the team “succeed in its home market”.  All of these things bode well for keeping the Vikings in Minnesota.

However, the Vikings face their share of obstacles.  The state of Minnesota is facing a large budget shortfall, and convincing the government to invest in a stadium is going to be difficult.  My belief is that the upfront cost would be outweighed by the future benefits.  (For example, construction of a new stadium could allow Minneapolis to host a Super Bowl.)

This is where you come in!  Every little bit helps, and I want to encourage you to take a few moments to follow the steps below.

1. Visit the Minnesota Momentum homepage and read over the proposed plans for the Vikings’ new stadium.  They’re very interesting and I think that you’ll be excited by the possibilities.
2. Register as a member of the Minnesota Momentum coalition by visiting this page.  It only takes a few minutes, and you will not receive junk mail as a result.  (I’ve been a member for approximately a year.  You will occasionally receive a newsletter.  However, Minnesota Momentum will not sell your contact information.  But, you must be a resident of Minnesota to register.)
3. Now, if you’re looking for extra bonus points, take a few minutes to contact your state representative(s) using the instructions found here.  Additionally, you can contact the Governor to voice your support.  (This may seem like it will be ineffective, but I believe that it’s extremely important.  These people all work for you and they do occasionally take time to read messages from their constituents.  Don’t underestimate the importance of this activity!  But, please don’t harass them.)
4. Talk to your fellow Vikings fans, and encourage them to follow the steps above.  (Or at the very least, talk them into registering as a member of Minnesota Momentum.)

I believe that it’s up to us, as Vikings fans, to help get this issue resolved.  I’ll occasionally post reminders about what you can do to help over the upcoming season.

A patient’s [bone marrow] transplant day is often called their birthday. It’s like being a newborn because the patient has little immune system. Eventually, when the patient gets off of anti-rejection drugs, they have to get all their childhood immunization shots all over again

I can tell you that it is hard for me to fathom how someone even thought up how transplants could save people. It was about the most brutal thing I’ve witnessed in my life. My sister was unable to eat or drink for about a month and a half. For a while, she couldn’t even swallow her own spit because she had such bad mouth and throat sores.

In other words, a bone marrow transplant is a big deal. It’s not an operation, but it is one of the more difficult things medical science does to the human body.

For the complete story, click the link above. I’d highly recommend reading the article, as it gives glimpses of what Kenechi will be facing in the months ahead.

You can help make a difference in the effort to find marrow donors. At the National Marrow Donor Program’s website, there are opportunities to register as a donor or donate money to help them get more people registered. I’m donating a few bucks to the cause — it seems like an appropriate way to recognize the battle #95 is facing.

If you decide to help out with this cause, you’re welcome to post a comment here so we can keep tabs on how many Vikings fans (or fans of other teams, for that matter) have donated to the NMDP.

*In this week’s Monday Morning Quarterback, Peter King unveiled his post-draft power rankings and placed the Vikings as the seventh-best team in the NFL. That’s one spot ahead of our Wisconsin rivals.

On paper, I suppose the rankings make some sense…it’s reasonable to expect that the Vikes will edge out the Packers in the NFC North next season, simply based on the offseason wheelings and dealings of the two squads.

Needless to say, these rankings are great fodder for discussion and debate, but they don’t mean a whole lot. If I’ve learned anything about the NFL since I began following the league, it’s that preseason predictions are almost always proven to be completely inaccurate. There are a thousand variables during the course of a season that can throw off the predictions we make before the start of the year; indeed, my track record of predicting the Vikings’ record has been, in all honestly, embarrassing.

What if Tarvaris Jackson surpasses all expectations next season and becomes one of the NFL’s brightest young quarterbacks? What if he gets injured and the Vikings need to rely on Gus Frerotte for the better part of the season? What if Aaron Rodgers is a flop in Green Bay? What if he excels in the starting role?

There’s an endless amount of those “What if?” questions, and that’s why I’d encourage everyone to avoid putting much stock into these preseason prognostications. I have quite a bit of respect for Peter King (despite his man crush for Brett Favre that is surpassed only by John Madden), but let’s just keep this stuff in perspective.

*Also at SI.com, Don Banks listed the Vikings as one of six NFL teams that are on the rise. Says Banks, “Anything less than a double-digit win season and a playoff berth will rate as underachievement.” Agreed. This team has enough talent to meet both of those goals.

*Interested in placing a wager on who the 2008 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year will be? Well, while I certainly don’t recommend betting on this stuff, Bodog’s got you covered if you’re interested in prognosticating the top-performing offensive rookie. They have 50/1 odds on John David Booty winning the award; I, however, think 50/1 odds that JDB gets off the bench this season would be more appropriate.

Scroll down the page a bit, and you’ll find that Tyrell Johnson has 60/1 odds of winning the Defensive Rookie of the Year honors.

Wait…you’re telling me that JDB has better odds of winning Offensive Rookie of the Year than Johnson does of winning Defensive Rookie of the Year? Get outta here. I know Tyrell Johnson played for a small school (Arkansas State) and kinda went under the radar during the 2007 college football season, but from what I’m hearing, this kid’s gonna be good.

Mel Kiper Jr. even suggested that Johnson will be playing in the Pro Bowl three years down the road; while I think that statement is a little extreme, it is a testament to the respect Johnson receives within league and media circles. Fans of the Vikes (myself included) don’t know too much about him, but those in the know seem to think he’ll be a capable replacement for Darren Sharper.

Scroll waaay down on the Bodog page, and you’ll find this item: Which quarterback will be the first to start a game during the 2008-2009 NFL regular season, John David Booty or Brian Brohm?

Ugh. I can see a quarterback controversy coming from a mile away. I’ve made my thoughts known about a potential JBD-Tarvaris debate, but regardless of efforts by many Vikings fans to prevent potential QB debates this season, it’s easy to see that a quarterback controversy is on the horizon. And that’s a damn shame.

*Dwight Smith was caught having sex in a stairwell. Darrion Scott asked cops, “Don’t you know who I am?” while being arrested for marijuana possession, and was then recently arrested for assault and malicious punishment of a child. Bryant McKinnie was involved in a scuffle with a security guard outside a Miami nightclub, and got into trouble for his role in the Sex Boat after *allegedly* performing oral sex on one of the ladies. I’d be remiss if I failed to mention Onterrio Smith’s Wizzinator. And Fred Smoot…well, you know.

But of all the tomfoolery and shenanigans that the players of our squad have been involved in, we haven’t seen anything quite like this with the Purple. Chicago running back Cedric Benson was arrested for BWI. Boating while intoxicated.

Wait, you mean you’re not supposed to drink when you go boating? Serious? See, in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, it’s pretty much assumed that, if you take the boat out on the water for a spin, you’ll return to shore at least somewhat intoxicated.