Another early finish
August 1st, 2007 – 5:17 PM by Judd ZulgadOn a hot day in Mankato, Brad Childress cut the Vikings’ second practice short by 25 minutes. The afternoon session had been scheduled to go until 5 p.m.
Among the notes from a practice conducted in shorts:
– Receiver Troy Williamson dropped another pass in team drills but to his credit Williamson later came back and made a very nice diving catch. Williamson also stayed after practice to catch passes. It’s clear he is trying not to get discouraged and plans on continuing to work at improving.
– Rookie linebacker David Herron might have made the play of the afternoon practice. Tarvaris Jackson threw a short pass over the middle that was caught by fullback Naufahu Tahi. Herron, in making the tackle, punched the ball out of Tahi’s hands and caught it for an interception.
– Jackson got a little too creative at one point in team drills. Seeing he had no open receivers, Jackson began to run the ball. About 5 yards past the line of scrimmage, however, he decided to toss it to running back Artose Pinner. The defensive players quickly pointed out the infraction.
– On back-to-back deep passes, Jackson overthrew Sidney Rice and then Williamson.
– Receiver Aundrae Allison (leg), linebacker Ben Leber (calf), running back Chester Taylor (arm) were among those who didn’t practice this afternoon.
142 Responses to "Another early finish"
5 o’clock whistle = Chili already sipping a cold one
Tarvaris = can’t even perform against one of the NFL’s worst pass defenses
You da man Judd!
First? Thanks Judd.
Jackson had no open receivers?
Judd, shouldn’t that have been Jackson had no skilled receivers?
No receivers that could catch?
No receivers on the offensive side of the ball?
No receivers making above NFL minimum wage?
Jackson had no open receivers?
Judd, shouldn’t that have been Jackson had no skilled receivers?
No receivers that could catch?
No receivers on the offensive side of the ball?
No receivers making above NFL minimum wage?
I’m slowing starting to believe that T-Will can only catch the ball if he’s diving.
Perhaps all future practices and games can be held in a pool…
Nice analysis VQ.
Is that because when T-Will dives he has to reach out and catch with his hands, while on land, his body/shoulder pads get in the way?
TWill = 21st century Qadry Ishmycatchingsucks…
Spurgeon=2007 TJack
Chilli = stupid= Less Steckel
2007 season = lost
MICK TINGELHOFF FOR THE PRO FOOTBLL HALL OF FAME !!!!
The latest on KFAN:
http://www.wctrib.com/articles/index.cfm?id=22787§ion=news
I think Williamson stops thinking During the hard to catch passes. And the ones thrown right to him he Over thinks and chokes…
TWill Comments: STRIB “Are you concerned about drops still being a problem?”
TWill: “It’s practice?, Practice. Practice? Man we’re talkin about practice. It’s practice. Practice? Man, we’re talkin about PRACTICE. It’s practice. Practice. Your asking about practice? It’s practice.”
Glad to know we finally got AI in MN.
Too bad it is one day too late for KG.
Tigers lose = another half-game for Santana & teammates
Just jeff awful….right by the U….bumper to bumper traffic was on the bridge at the time of collapse!!!
Well I guess I should think about Going to bed alittle early…. Long day at camp tomorrow…… You All have a good night… Drive careful.
Good God! The entire span! Hope all my AV blogmates are O.K.
Sad, sad day…
Good to see you are alright Bones!!
I’m just sick about the bridge collapse 
Very worried about my boss, he left work at about a quarter to six and I believe he heads that direction…
P Mack at KFANs afternoon practice report
… RTG’s wife works just a few blocks down University and would have been on the bridge had the entrance at 10th street not been closed due to the construction. My thoughts and prayers go out to all those who were on the bridge. Strib is currently reporting only 1 dead — much to be thankful for.
I just crossed the bridge to the east of that one 1.5 hours before the collapse.
I wonder if I can go to work tomorrow? Wonder what they’ll do with the metrodome traffic? Game is in progress now.
I have to cross the Washington Ave Bridge everyday…gonna be leery of it now. I thinks it’s older than the one that collapsed.! That one is about 200 yards to the east of the collapsed one.
Hope you all are ok. We may disagree about the Vikes, but I hope all my AV bloggers in MN are safe and sound.
God I hope all of you are ok, pray none of you were on that bridge when it collapsed…
Blog is awful quiet. Just hoping you all are doing ok. Just can’t fathom the mess this has created. Sounds at least like the emergency response teams were well up to par.
does make you appreciate the people up here though. All the stories of people running in to help out, pulling those kids out of the bus, etc.
watching the pictures right now, makes me almost ill to see the destruction. almost makes a guy speechless.
Not in MN anymore, but, have lots of family in the Twin Cities. Makes you wonder how a bridge can just collapse, especially after passing inspection the last two years.
Monc hope you and your families are all ok
( Jeff I hope this happens and catches on I think rookies are getting too much these days)
PANTHERS HOPE TO SET A PRECEDENT
A league source tells us that the Carolina Panthers are refusing to pay an option bonus to first-round draft pick Jon Beason because the Panthers hope to establish a precedent of paying no option bonus to any of its draft picks.
Because teams now cannot recover all or part of an option bonus in the event of a holdout, suspension, or other default, the Panthers hope to never be in the position of not being able to recover money — and/or to use the ability to recover money as a way to keep a player in line.
The fact that the Panthers want to pay no option bonus at all to Beason has prompted speculation that the Panthers have a specific concern about the former Miami standout. Not so, said one league source with knowledge of Beason. The source said that Beason is a good kid and will not be a problem.
The Panthers, we’re told, want to have that structure in place on a year-in, year-out basis in the event that they ever are inclined to draft a guy who might become a problem down the road.
Still, with G.M. Marty Hurney and coach John Fox widely believed to be on the hot seat, shouldn’t they be more concerned about getting into camp a guy who might be able to help both of them keep their jobs, and less concerned about setting a precedent that they might not be there to continue?
( he should want on the field if he wants to start)
QUINN IS WEARING OUT CONDON
Our network of moles peppered throughout the league tells us that Browns quarterback Brady Quinn has been calling agent Tom Condon regularly and repeatedly of late as Quinn’s holdout continues.
And in response to our item from earlier today comparing Quinn’s slotted guaranteed money as the No. 22 pick to the guaranteed money paid to various other starting quarterbacks, we’ve received more than 200 e-mails from Browns fans unhappy with Quinn’s stance. We hope to share some of them with you soon.
Condon is believed to be attempting to get more guaranteed and more total dollars than the No. 22 slot in the draft would otherwise dictate. And it’s hard to blame the Browns, since they haven’t been cheap when it comes to paying players; indeed, they gave No. 3 pick Joe Thomas $23.5 million in guaranteed money on a five-year deal even after the Bucs gave defensive end Gaines Adams only $18.5 million on a six-year contract.
But just as Condon wants to be the agent who blows the slotting process out of the water, the Browns don’t want to be the team that creates a precedent for this kind of stuff in the future. And though Condon is apparently taking this approach to aid in his efforts to recruit more college quarterbacks, he could make it even harder to get his future quarterback clients drafted, especially if they fall on draft day.
Think about it this way — if the Browns knew in April what they know now, would they have given up their first-round pick in 2008 to move up from the top of round two in order to stop Quinn’s free-fall, or would they have opted to stand pat and pounce on Kevin Kolb or John Beck?
——————————————————————————–
( Quotes from the Chillymyster)
Q: What were your impressions of Bryant McKinnie back out there today?
A: Yeah, you know just learning how to carry those pads again. I saw him get bulled once, and of course being a 6′8′’ guy, that’s a liability, the 6′8″. But he is going to have to get some rhythm back, whereas he is pass protecting against a guy that is having a heck of a camp, Ray Edwards, who kind of has his timing down. He is going to have to time that drop and time that punch; you know it just takes a little bit with your hands. Then carrying those pads, he is going to go through a spot here of two or three days where he is going to be a little bit sluggish.
Q: How has Bobby Wade looked?
A: He is still learning the things that he is able to do in this system because there is a lot of flexibility. I mentioned it before, that line in the playbook has some adaptability to it and he has got enough personality along that line in the playbook where he has some freedom. He knows the lines; he is learning some of the freedoms that are involved and how he is able to wiggle open and what the quarterback expects to see, what he absolutely can’t do and the quarterback doesn’t expect to see, so he is playing well but he is kind of growing within the system here.
Q: You were referring to Edwards as the guy that McKinnie was going against and that he is having a good camp. Has he really grabbed onto that right end position?
A: Well, he has by virtue of the fact that, of course, (Brian) Robison is getting not as many reps. He was doing a nice job, and I’ve seen some very good rushes out of Khreem Smith as well. You’re always anxious to get your starter back there at left tackle and then you take Ray back through that whole process when you feel like McKinnie has timed up. Those should be some monumental battles. But Ray has done a very nice job, as has the left end. I saw Jayme Mitchell make a nice rush today and be able to tap the football out of his hand, the quarterback’s hand, and I thought the quarterback did a good job of passing up. You guys all remember Simeon Rice; Jayme has that long arm and sometimes as you are coming around the edge, those long arms really lend themselves to the quarterback thinking he is safe but all it takes is a little tap on that ball and you’ve got something.
Q: Do you think Chester Taylor will be back for Friday and is there any update on that?
A: I am not really concerned about whether he is back for Friday or not. I am just kind of listening to what the trainers say and let him listen to his body a little bit. It’s kind of a sensitive place. If you put your hand down on your forearm, not on the meat, but on the inside right where that bone is exposed, if you take a direct shot right on that bone, that’s a painful thing now. I don’t know how many of you guys in high school used to walk around and hit people on that spot there where there is no flesh. That’s a painful place right there, so he has got a good bit of pain and swelling with that. I don’t question his toughness. He’ll be back out there as fast as he can, but he did want me to tell you guys that we’re not thinking about amputating it.
Q: You have a relatively young guy in Bobby Wade as kind of the veteran of the receiving corps. How would you asses he is handling that role.
A: I think I mentioned before, he is really kind of like a Pied Piper because he has the wealth of experience and playing on another team and had some success. Those guys, those young kids, really followed him through our offseason. He is a tremendous worker, so he really brought something to them in terms of work ethic in the offseason, work ethic when you get on the football field, and then he has put his money where his mouth is in terms of catching the ball and making plays.
Q: With McKinnie missing a few days, do you worry about the line falling behind in rhythm a little bit?
A: Yeah, you never like guys to miss when you are trying to get them to play cohesively. But the upside of that, and I think Kevin wrote about this, the upside to that is in a pinch that is what would happen in a game, is Artis (Hicks) would jump over there and (Anthony) Herrera would go in. I have spoken to you guys before about when you are only able to have seven and probably tops eight linemen up on a 45-man game-day roster, guys got to have position flexibility. They have to, and I would point to a game like Miami last year where we were down to our final five there. So guys have to be able to swing, and who is going to go in to play left tackle, who would play left guard, what happens if the center gets nicked. You have got to have guys that can do all those kind of things.
Q: Did Hicks show you that he can handle that role out there at left tackle?
A: Yeah, he is a natural left hander so that is the thing that is great for him. It’s like riding a bike. Now we know that the premium rushers are on that side of a right-handed quarterback. He had some rushes that were better than others but you know he has a natural punch to him, and as I mentioned to you before, I have seen him do it before against Jason Taylor on a Monday night with about two hours lead time, and hold him to no sacks. So he has a little bit of experience at that position.
Q: Do you expect the offensive line to come together as a group faster than they did last year?
A: I think by and large right now they are doing a good job. They did a good job in the offseason just in terms of learning and growing in the system. You could see it happen in the OTAs. Everything is always different when you put pads on, but the communication doesn’t change and I think they understand more about exactly how we’re approaching things in our run game, whether it be inside run outside run, trap, power, they all understand their responsibilities. Then that’s always a matter of playing off those responsibilities. It is one thing to know it mentally and it’s another thing to do it in shorts and it’s quite another thing to do it when you have pads on.
Q: Did Leber miss because of that same strain he had earlier?
A: Just aggravated it, yep.
Q: Seemed like you have spent a lot of one-on-one time with (Visanthe) Shiancoe early in camp. Is that something you are doing to get him more involved in the offense and help him to learn the system?
A: Really, essentially he is no different than Bobby Wade in terms of learning new terminology and learning the flexibility he has at the tight end position. When he is at the top of a crossing route, when does he have the ability to take it up and strike it back outside? When does he have to keep going and that’s driven by what the quarterback expects to see and what’s happening outside of him, so he is learning the foreign language. He’s got the skills and ability, and it’s just that we keep on adding that volume every day, for instance adding all those red zone specific plays today. He should get a bunch of those installations. We install this stuff for every preseason game. We go right back through it again for every game during the season. Obviously we press toward September 9th to have it all ready.
Q: Is there anything that has surprised you about him from the time he was acquired as a free agent to OTAs and then to the beginning of camp?
A: Nothing surprised me. I think he has got sneaky speed down the middle of the field. He runs very well, he is able to drop some man-to-man coverage, so no surprises really.
Q: What happened to Aundrae Allison?
A: Just felt a little tug on his hamstring.
Q: For the Chiefs scrimmage in terms of quarterback rotation between Bollinger and Jackson, do you kind of have a structure already in place for that?
A: I have had a dialogue with Herman (Edwards) and Dick Curl setting up the practice format and obviously we are playing them game three of the regular season and we’re going to work against them twice so we will get everybody rolled in there. I have not talked to them about rotation. I have talked to them more about the periods of plays that we are going to run, how were going to talk about them. I have got to send them a decoded practice plan so they don’t have all our plays. I can send them the personnels and they’ll send us the personnels back. We want them to be able to line up. We’re not attempting to deceive until we get to September, but you have to communicate all those things in terms of how many 7-on-7 snaps are you going to take, how many team snaps, how many you going to have for your ones, are you going to go ones against twos, and twos against ones. As a matter of fact I have got a message from Dick Curl here that I have to go in and answer when I get back in.
Q: Are there some things you won’t show that you ordinarily would because it is open to anybody?
A: It’s a good question, and of course I think Kansas City televises all of their practice. But more than that, when you have young guys that are going to compete for the first time; it’s one coming out here in shorts, it’s another thing the first day that guys put pads on. You want to make sure you don’t trick your own guys. I just want to watch them play. So there will be a little bit of nervousness seeing those red jerseys I am sure. It will be fairly generic. It will just be watching guys play against different receivers and different route combinations. That’s always interesting to watch who competes in those situations.
Q: What’s your assessment with Bollinger with the limited time he has had with number ones?
A.) I would say that he is a lot like Tarvaris from the standpoint of he has been up and down, ridden the rollercoaster a little bit. Again, I would like him to flatten that thing off, but I have seen growth in all those guys. I think quarterbacks are going to have tough days; I just talked to them about that during the stretch. I thought they both did a nice job of bouncing back and rebounding because in this business it is what have you done for me lately. They did a nice job of coming back today, going to school, learning from that tape, seeing what the problems were, and then a whole different situation today in the red area and I thought by and large they did a nice job.
Q: Do you think he is more comfortable in this offense because of similar the offense in New York or is Tarvaris right there too because he had all of last season and the offseason?
A.) He would more comfortable by virtue of the fact that at one point in time Paul Hackett was his offensive coordinator and some of the terminology, the Bill Walsh West Coast terminology would have been similar, and he has done it longer. I do know that they did something different there last year with Brian Schottenheimer, completely different verbiage, but he has heard this stuff before so he understands some of the concepts. Is he more comfortable? He has heard some of it before, he has heard some of the concepts, but everybody kind of rigs it their own way.
Q: You had the special teams out here yesterday afternoon. How did you feel they looked?
A: We’re still teaching out there as well and one of our big points of emphasis this year is improving the specialties whether it’s the coverage game or the return game. They are learning how to approach your wedge and attack it on the kickoff. I see willing souls and it doesn’t make any difference whether it’s Antoine Winfield or Dwight Smith. Those guys are known entities in the special teams game; we’re trying to ramp up some of those bigger bodies that can run. Ray Edwards is running right down the middle of something, Vinny Ciurciu. I see those guys paying attention to what they need to pay attention to, and then we don’t ever go live in those special teams periods. The first time we will see them live is when we play St. Louis so that is why they always ID that special teams coach on the sideline. You know, this is the guy, and if goes back all the way on a home run, they are coming right back to that guy. It’s kind of you don’t know what you are going to get. A lot of this stuff we can scrimmage, we can go full speed. Special teams, because the collisions are such at a high rate, you want to teach as fast as you can without piling them up.
Q: What do you like about Tank Williams so far?
A: I just like the fact that he is pain-free and he is a smart guy who gets them all lined up. I’ve seen very good range from him. He is a big body, so can come down and play in the box, but I have seen good range from him in center field. I think it’s huge; we were talking about it at the special teams practice yesterday that aside from having camp legs, he doesn’t have that telling pain that he had last year. He is pain-free and he looks like he is getting his legs back underneath him.
Our prayers are with the Twin Cities.
On a far less important, but hopeful note, I noticed Chilli made a reference to Simeon Rice when talking about how Jayme Mitchell knocked the ball out of T-Jax’ hands. Wonder if that’s more than a coincidence.
I would say it is I would be downright shocked if we signed him
( Hasselback= whinner or was that wiener)
>Henderson making smooth transition
Middle linebacker E.J. Henderson’s transition from the weakside linebacker to the middle has gone off without a hitch so far. “He’s doing well,” Vikings defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier said in this Pioneer Press report. “He’s taking more command every day. He’s feeling a lot more comfortable playing inside. You just see him gaining confidence as we go through it. We really expect that by the time we get to Sept. 9 (and the regular-season opener against Atlanta), he’ll be in total control.”
>Moore stepping up
With Chester Taylor and Adrian Peterson in the backfield it looked like Mewelde Moore would be the odd man out, but he’s drawn nothing but praise from coach Brad Childress so far in training camp. Moore continues to be the team’s most reliable punt return man. “I have to do everything I can possibly do to help the team,” Moore said in this Mankato Free Press report. “I have to take advantage of the opportunities and be productive.”
>McCauley learning quickly
Rookie cornerback Marcus McCauley continues to impress. Mentoring McCauley has been veteran Antoine Winfield. “It’s the best possible situation I could be in,” McCauley said in this AP story. “Every question I have, he has the answer. He’s been awesome. Everything is new to me. [Winfield] just tells me to trust my instincts and trust my ability. You’re going to make mistakes, just make the mistakes at full speed.” There’s also this KFAN story on McCauley.
>Notes from camp
Chester Taylor banged up his arm and has missed some time, but it isn’t expected to be anything serious. Marcus McCauley continues to impress. The defense flashes dominance, while the offense continues to struggle. Here are daily reports by the StarTribune, Vikings.com, Pioneer Press, KFAN, WCCO.com and another Pioneer Press report.
>Vikes still getting no respect
The Vikings are still only ranked No. 25 in this realfootball365.com training camp power rankings report. “Minnesota definitely scored coups with its first two draft picks – running back Adrian Peterson (first round) and wide receiver Sidney Rice (second round),” the report says. But these guys aren’t convinced of Tarvaris Jackson and are not big fans of Brad Childress, either.
>Hasselbeck still not over Henderson hit
Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck is still upset about the hit on him by linebacker E.J. Henderson last season. “To me, the most frustrating thing about last year and our season was probably my knee injury,” Hasselbeck said in this Seattle Times story. “Because it was just such a pointless injury to me. Very avoidable. I’ll just leave it at that.”
>Culpepper lands with Raiders
For Daunte’s sake, we hope it turns out better for him in Oakland than it did for Randy Moss. Regardless, the ex-Viking got his one-year deal and should at least get a chance to re-establish his credibility as an NFL quarterback. Here’s the ESPN.com report.
>Napo gone but not bitter
A good story here by Sean Jensen of the Pioneer Press on former Vikings linebacker Napoleon Harris, who signed with the Kansas City Chiefs during the offseason.
Join the discussion
Hope everyone from our Access Vikings family is allright.
truly tragic news, I second Ole’s thoughts and will extend it to include the friends and family members also.
Artose Pinner appears to be the biggest surprise at running back so far. He’s picking up blitzes making the right decisions and finishing runs with excellent leg drive. He has been by far the most consistent back with by far the least amount of errors at position assignment. It would very interesting to see what he looks like with additional reps.
one thing is for sure, the Vikes have the luxury of a deep backfield behind the QBs, on any given snap there is an above average back in there, even Fason, I watched the game agains Kentucky that was really his coming out party in college…he has some true ability if he ever gets the chance
Mornin’ everyone. Any word from our AV faithful down in the cities?
Hello All - That is one heck of a mess there on I-35…..Hope all is well…. heck I can not even say anything mean about Chilli and him being on the bridge… Cause I wouldn’t mean it… Oh the things we all take for granted.
JIM MARSHALL FOR THE PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME !!!!!!
Randy Moss = hamstrung. The mercurial WR left the field under his own power…
mornin’ Bones, Alan…
one thing, you gotta appreciate the people up in this part of the country, disaster like this, and regular people are rushing in to help the emergency workers however they can. A far cry different from when disasters have happened in other parts of the country…
Morning All!
Morning all. All present and accounted for for me and ny family. I took the day off today. Figured it’d be a mess down there at work & decided to stay away from there at least today.
Does it really matter if our WR’s can catch the ball if our QB’s can’t make the throws?
Oh my goodness Alan being nice? I have to disagree with big pop’s Assesment of artose pinner. Pinner has been willing to block. And has been able to round the corner.. He has been doing this vs second team mostly. And he has been way to inconsistant catching passes. One might argue that he is a runningback. but in this league backs are expected to be versital enought to do both. especially in chilli’s KAO.
not today it doesn’t…
Hey 4ever … Since you have the day off you should jetison down to see practice. Its only 1 1/2 hour drive.. If you leave now they wont even be done stretching yet..
I am confident that Our QBs can make all of the throws… Jackson just has a hard time finding the open recievers.. And counting to 3…..But he can make the throws….
So after a week of camp we’ve learned:
• T Will still can’t catch.
• The rest of the WRs can’t catch.
• T. Jax can’t hang onto the ball or do a 3-step drop
• McKinnie is lazy (wait, we already knew that).
• The only thing that Artis Hicks sucks at more than RG is LT.
• Chili has a new hat.
Wow, I wonder why all the experts rank us at the bottom of the NFL? SKOL Vikings…
Bones - After what we’ve learned, glad to see you still support the team!
Mornin’ all - GPG present and accounted for. Can’t speak for my emotional state, however.
Hope the locals all show up in here today - I’m so unbelievably sad today I can’t stand it.
Espn has an article that ranks people they think’ll get into Canton HOF. They have Steve Hutchinson listed, and also have Adrian Peterson listed. Interesting they noted that having Hutch will really make things easier for AD to get some yardage.
Bones…Chili has a new hat should be one of the positives, last year he was just an ugly bald guy who ignored the media, now he’s a an ugly bald guy with a bad@ss hat.
I bleed Purple 2MT. T Jax has trouble counting to three? I thought intelligence was one of his strongest qualities…
Mornin’. What a mess.
Tom: I agree that Chili is stylin’ in his new lid. It reinforces his image as the toughest disciplinarian in the NFL…
cliffcia-gonna stay home in the comfort of the air conditioning! Watching the recovery on TV. Not even in the mood for viking crap today.
I work at a hospital near the bridge and was up late to say the least.
just so you all know as of now, for the day I agree with everybody.
1. Jackson is not ready
2. Chilli is a dumba$$
3. McKinnie can’t block
4. WR can’t catch
5. Favre still sucks
6. 4-12 for the season and I really don’t care
personally, I think he looks like an even bigger dork in that hat than before. didn’t know you could go on safari in Mankato…
FVF = speaking out of extreme jealousy that he has been unable to locate “Chili Hat” in Fargo-Moorhead region…
Flippin’ great. You’ve all ruined i4Ever! I hope you’re all proud of yourselves
I miss i4Ever the optimist.
VQ = currently wearing “Chili Hat” (and nothing else)
But we have also learned:
-If one running back goes down we have two other excellent backs to count on.
-gatoraid is $3.00 at training camp.
True. And Gucci sandals. Doesn’t mean I’m not angry about pessimistic 14Ever!
Hindsight’s 20/20, but it would’ve been nice if they closed the bridge during construction.
Apathetic. 1=i. Whatever.
well hi ho hi ho off to camp I go. With Lemonaide and gatorade. Hi ho hi ho hi ho.
King - I think we’re fortunate that they had a lane or 2 closed either way or more cars would have been on the bridge.
Bones, is everyone accounted for at your work today?
My sister said it best: the sadness is overwhelming today
Good to see some of the regulars in here!!
That we are. That we are. They say over 100,000 cars travel over that bridge every day. Piece of sh!t bridge.
Twins game cancelled, including ground-breaking on stadium. Taylor’s grand-daughter was involved in the bridge, somehow. They cancelled the press conference to introduce the new “players”.
There, it is sports related.
GPG: It’s actually really quiet around here, I don’t know if people are upset/unable to get to work or if it’s something more serious.
… I was thinking the same thing, 2MT. If they hadn’t been working on the bridge and had it down to 1 lane, there would have been easily 240 more vehicles on that bridge. When I saw the coverage, I guessed 2 years to get a new bridge, and someone interviewed on one of the news channels said the same. That’s truly icky …
They’re probably stuck on 280.
Did anybody else see the blonde lady that kept diving, looking for people? She didn’t have a mask or air tank. Unbelievable.
What blows me away are the brisge inspection reports from the last two years the ID’s the stress fractures in the jeff damned bridge!! On the scale of 1-10, 10 being great shape this bridge received a rating of 4!!! A frickin 4!!! Fingers are bring pointed already (politically) about the MNDOT Budget, or lack thereof.
Hope she at least had a rope. That current is nothin’ nice.
I didn’t see it, but I heard about the blonde. That lady has a ton of guts…
BIG Cahunas.
Yep, that’s all she had was a yellow rope tied around her. She’s in picture 13:
http://news.aol.com/story/_a/bridge-collapses-into-mississippi-river/20070801194509990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001
No wonder KRob was driving so fast… he must have known of the construction flaws well in advance….
FIRE CHILDRESS NOW !!!!!!
That’s one brave woman…
I saw that VQ, thought the same thing about her - hero she is. And King, yes, she was on a rope - no messing with that current!
I actually heard one of the news-heads say, as he was watching the tape of the blonde diver, that she must be a police officer because she had on a vest…Uhhhhh, no you MORON, it’s a life jacket/vest over her wetsuit. Duh.
Anyone else bothered by the news people sticking microphones in victims faces? Drives me INSANE - why not try to help instead of going for the awards?!? Arrrgghhh…
GPG = alternately angry and sad today!
I’ve seen people swim across the river, but not near there, more towards the Franklin Ave bridge. I’d imagine the current is much worse where she was because of the dam/St. Anthony falls.
Well, one person would not agree:
http://www.startribune.com/blogs/vikings/?p=695
Started sending e-mail to my peeps back in Minneapolis last night. It’s good to see the regulars are present and posting. Take care, all.
Beaver.
GPG - You’re wrong. It was a bullet proof vest. Haven’t we been discussing how dangerous the river is?
Sorry, couldn’t resist.
I fish down at the river quite often. Don’t keep anything of course. That water is some nasty isht.
VQ = Inappropriately jokes when in painful/ emotional situations.
The catfish look like slugs.
GPG: I see your point, but you’ve gotta cut the news folks some slack. I’ve been around a lot of news people in the last ten years and they honestly are NOT thinking Emmy Award in these situations. They’re just trying to get the story, if they don’t they’re in for a serious a$$-chewing from their superiors…
Why do you think I joked so much during last season???
Keep joking VQ, it helps me too!! 
… you have to be able to laugh at a time like this. Nothing inappropriate about that one, VQ.
I think I’ll take a ride on Amtrak!
Was anyone watching FOXNEWS coverage last night?
Sorry, but they totally ruined what was already tragic by having Greta Van-put her in a-Cistern as one of the news anchors/reporters/hosts/whatever you want to call her.
The only gin I’ll drink is Citadel. I’m somewhat of a snob when it comes to liquor, but $100 in free drinks would be great. Nothin’ but top shelf for me. I’d ride to Chicago and straight back.
Morning everyone.
Called my mom this morning because I couldn’t get in touch with my sister who lives in Minneapolis.
Sis = ok
Friends still in Minneapolis = ??
Big D =
It’s good to know that the receivers are in good hands, it’s just too bad the the hands of the WR’s aren’t all that great.
You know, I was thinking about that. For once, Childress can actually say (without lying) that it is lack of player execution (but why kill them? They’re only ball players).
RTG = gin fan. Will have to try Citadel.
2MT, did you see that MADD was questioning whether $100 of free alcohol was too much? If you’re on a train, how does this create a drunk driving issue?
MADD = Mothers Against Drinking, D@mnit!
I read that RTG. You can join DAMM, Drunks against Mad Mothers and fight it I suppose!
… anger never solved anything. They should quit being so madd. Relax. Have a drink for Jeff’s sake …
Citadel is the best gin ever distilled. Hands down.
Bones = DAMM member
RTG. Have you tried the Tanqueray Rangapour lime gin? I’ve been wanting to try it.
They’re on my keyboard, now what?
Glad to hear that it sounds like everyone is OK. It’s amazing that this story has barely made the local news here in Miami. I didn’t know anything had happened until 11pm EDT when my folks called and said “we’re OK.”
Inferno: Anderson Cooper was even worse asking questions like “is this the worst tragedy to hit Minnesota since you became director of emergency management?”
KingKC: before you take a train ride for the $100 in free gin, check out how much the tickets cost…Grand Lux is crazy expensive. I’ll stick to my Beefeater Gin thank you very much!!!
… yes I have, King. I like it. Kind of like Tanqueray Ten with a lime taste. I like my gin and tonic with lime, but usually too lazy to get out the lime and cut a wedge. With this, you don’t have to …
Gin + lime + tonic = smells like rubbing alcohol w/a twist!
Citadel costs about $30 a bottle and is worth every penny.
It’s only 9:45 am is it too early to start on the Wild Turkey? I need about 3 fingers….no ice….
Gin + Juice = laid back and thinking about money
… Big D needs to stop shopping for gin at the Dollar Store …
I used to mix Tanqueray with Mt Dew… packs a punch…
FIRE CHILDRESS NOW !!!!!!
… what kind of botanicals do they use in Citadel, King?
i4Ever, it’s 5:00 somewhere. Pour and enjoy responsibly. Sounds like a good cigar would go well with that …
Wild Turkey & Mountain Dew??? Sounds good to me! I gotta liter of each! 
Jose Cuervo is a friend of mine as is Ron Bacaradi, Johnny Walker Red and Black. I don’t like to drink alone. This diverse group is fun to party with!!!
I don’t know cigars as well as Bill Clinton. What’s a good brand to get?
Thanks RTG, knew there must be a reason, the warden however drinks Gin like a fish drinks water. She doesn’t seem to be picky either, Beefeater, tangawhatever, or generic. She downs them all with gusto!
Oh I forgot to mention Sam Adams.
Too many to name.
Here you go. I thought I was spelling it wrong.
… I’m a fan of the CAO Gold, a nice mild flavor. Also, Arturo Fuentes makes a very nice cigar.
Go for the gusto, or don’t go at all. But, I’ll be darned if I can remember the beer that went with that slogan. Schlitz?
2MT you ever try Aguvero? It’s a Tequila Liquer, awefully good and smoooooth.
Me and the neighbors like to do a few shots after the kidos are off to bed.
Didn’t realize it was in French. Parlay vous Francais?
Now, every morning, just before breakfast,
I don’t want no coffee or tea.
Just me and my good buddy Weiser.
That’s all I ever need.
Cause I drink alone, yeah, with nobody else.
I drink alone, yeah, with nobody else.
Yeah, you know when I drink alone, I prefer to be by myself.
Now, the other night I lay sleeping,
And I woke from a terrible dream.
So I called up my pal, Jack Daniels,
And his partner Jimmy Beam.
Well, my whole Blog family done give up on me,
And it makes me feel so bad.
The only one who’ll hang out with me
Is my dear old Granddad.
And we drink alone, yeah, with nobody else.
We drink alone, yeah, with nobody else.
Yeah, you know when I drink alone, I prefer to be by myself.
I could use a nice, strong vodka cocktail right about now…it’s noon somewhere, isn’t it? 
VQ - love the humor! Need it alot today!
Sooooo happy to see everyone here today! We aren’t missing anyone, are we?
I haven’t Big D. I’ll need to check it out.
IHavana Monica Milds
They’re moist and smooth right out of the box, but be careful of the aroma….
Oh Jeff…so tempting…
Ha ha ha!!! Inferno Thanks….I needed that. LOL that was frickin’ great
You Hear It in this blog first…
Adrian Peterson… INJURED!!!
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