Deal almost done. Reports say it may be for only a 4th rounder.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports...nt/6276358.html

An 8 year pro with with subpar #s...?

Fine with me.

NOOOOO!!!!!!!






wait, did you say Sage Rosenfels? I thought you said Tom Brady. Oh nevermind then

Brett must be devastated

Better than Ferotte and TJ... I'd say a pretty good deal for a 4th.

Rosenfells was one of the better backup QB's in the NFL, and a definite upgrade over Frerotte/Jackson IMO. I think Minnesota is the clear frontrunner for the North next year after this move.

Really? Wow. Do you think that much of Rosenfels or that little of the competition by this I man the North)? I'll say what I annually say about the Vikings- they'll look impressive on paper, and end up playing half a season. Either start strong and falter, or falter and finish strong.

I would agree with that looking at their roster top to bottom, but I have no faith in their coaching staff. This would have been a good off season to dump Childress and company, IMO. As a Packer fan, I'm glad that they didn't do it, though.

The weak link was QB they will be better but Sage is not the answer, only a bandaid, they still are lacking in the receiver department and in the secondary. I use to think LB too but I think their unit out performed the Pack's LBs this past year.

Sage's stock sure did drop a bit.

Last year, Houston wanted a 2nd. This year, they only want a 4th.

Personally, I don't understand the move from Houston's standpoint. Why are they so adamant about shipping Sage? A hangnail seems to keep Schaub out of game, and it isn't as if they have a viable back-up to fill the void.

As for the Vikings, this would be an upgrade, though Sage does have a strong propensity to turn the ball over. He really is quite the streaky player.

I'd say this makes them a better team, but with Peterson and Sage, they might just lead the league in turnovers.

he really is. which could lead to a few benefits for us.

hopefully this move makes them think they don't need to draft a QB. hopefully it means they never give John David Booty a chance. and hopefully Sage plays well enough at times to keep their QB situation the completely muddled mess that it is.

Well I wouldn't say that is their only weak link. They don't have much at WR and until they do I really think they will be very one-dimensional. But I agree in thinking that Sage is a decent stop-gap and not much else.

So who do they cut to make room for Brett - what combination of Frerotte, Jackson and Booty gets the boot this summer?

Now they have three 2nd string QBs.

I think Freotte is a FA so I don't think they will bring him back.

He's going into the last year of his contract, and has stated that he wants to be a starter - so he won't be interested in re-signing with the Texans as a backup. And you can't hope to pull the ol' franchise+trade with him, since no team is going to pay him franchise QB money.

So this really was their best option. In reality, he didn't look very good last year. The Texans are basically getting something for nothing, and I'm not particularly afraid of potentially facing this guy twice next year. I don't view him as much of an upgrade for the Vikings. He's a better natural passer than Gus and Tavaris, but he has a strong tendency to be careless with the ball.

Honestly it's more of an indictment of the pathetic division, but I do think that Rosenfels is much better than either guy they had last year, and they won the division last year. I don't see them getting substantially worse anywhere, and it remains to be seen whether or not any other teams in the division do anything to get better (other than the standard cry for improvement from the current roster, which EVERY team aims for). Green Bay being young leads us to believe we will have the most current-roster improvement, but we are also running a new scheme defensively and are extremely shaky at OT. I think Rodgers will take a step up this year, but it may not be enough to surpass Minnesota. I'm not set in stone on this prediction, however.

I agree.


You guys act like Minnesota is going to suck just because, "it's Minnesota".


Newsflash: At this very point, and last season, they were heads and shoulders better than the Packers. The ONE weak link that team has (aside from Chilly) is QB. Rosenfels is no Manning. Hell, he's no Aaron Rodgers, but he's a definite upgrade, and at the very least, could be brought in with the sole intention of pushing Tavaris Jackson who, if you remember, lit it up pretty nice at the end of last season.

For a 4th rounder, this isn't a bad move at all.

Heard on Sirius the deal is on hold with the Texans wanting a third and the Vikings offering a 5th.

Rosenfels made it abundantly clear that he felt he had the ability to be a starter, and was "chomping at the bit" to take on that role. Also, I would think he is getting closer to becoming a UFA, and Houston was anxious to get something for him.

Well, if recent history means anything, they have a predictable pattern that I outlined in a previous post- good for half a season, stumble for half a season. I also expect them to add some players in FA, and have pundits immediately peg them as "the front runners to dominate the North and make a strong bid for the SB".

Until they do it on the field, I don't care what they look like on paper.

That should win the NFC North handily.

I think in a previous life this "half-and-half" theory was known as "the Vikes always choke in December". Until, of course, they didn't (while the Pack did, monumentally so).



Agreed, they're the team to beat in the North. However, WR is at least as much, if not more, of a concern as QB. Like you, I'm not ready to bury Tarvaris -- not until I've seen him struggle with a decent WR set.

In all seriousness, Minn. won the division last season so they are the team to beat. They've got a bunch of pro-bowlers on their roster, including the best RB in the league, and maybe the best DE.

But I'm sorry, I just don't see Sage Rosenfels adding much more than Ferotte gave them last year. I see him as just another steady hand, not someone to take them over the top. He is a high percentage passer who doesn't make a lot of big plays and makes too many mistakes. Houston has a nice running game there and the best WR in the league. Minny also has a good running game, but no one near Johnson's level at WR.

I would be way more worried if they got Warner. As it is, Minny still has the third best QB in the division behind Orton and Rodgers.

[quote name='rpiotr01' date='Feb 24 2009, 08:39 AM' post='232959']
In all seriousness, Minn. won the division last season so they are the team to beat. They've got a bunch of pro-bowlers on their roster, including the best RB in the league, and maybe the best DE.

Not sure I'm ready to name the Vikings as the team to beat, with or without Sage Rosenfels. He "may" be an upgrade over the other QB's on the roster, bu that's not really saying much. They won the division last year but that doesn't necessarily make them the favorites heading into the next. I don't buy into the argument that because a team wins one year they automatically are the favorites the following. Not in the NFL. (Perhaps that can be the subject of another thread though) They weren't exactly dominant in winning the division last year and two of their top defensive players still face an uncertain future amid possible suspensions.

Green Bay beat them once and missed a last second field goal to beat them a second time. Add in a late collapse against the Bears and it's not without reason we could have/should have gone undefeated in the division last year (I know... the what if game can be played ad nauseum???) We have a bunch of Pro Bowlers on our roster as well, an offense consistently ranked in the top 10, a defense that played fairly well in a limited scheme for 3.5 quarters a game, the top QB in the division, one helluva new defensive coaching staff, were more than competitive in every game last season (with the exclusion of the Saints game) a young talented roster with reasonable depth at most positions and currently 8 picks in the draft to round out our roster, including 4 of the top 83 picks.

I like our chances and believe regardless of the finish last year WE are the team to beat in the division.

The Lions are the team to beat in the North next year.

Owners that put their teams in a dome give themselves a big disadvantage in fielding a contender in my opinion.

The Lions have the singular advantage of not being able to get any worse.

Rosenfels played in 15 games the last two seasons and had 27 turnovers in those 15 games (22 picks, 5 lost fumbles).

That is truly "damning with faint praise".

Make no mistake, this is bad for GB.

Sage is an improvement over what they had last year. And he came relatively cheap.

He has more experience than Tavaris and more skill than Gus F.

The thing about Minny is this: they are pretty close to becoming a team without a weakness.

If Sage comes through for them, from what I see, all they need now is a DB, RG, RT, TE, WR.

If they get those five players, or players on the roster fill out those spots, they are going to be tough to beat.

I agree.

The big question, however, is whether Sage can come through for them. He really is quite a streaky player. I know I often describe Favre as a Catch 22 type player, but Sage, even more so, fits that billing.

And you can't get to Super Bowls, let alone win them, with those types of players at QB unless you have a Top 5 defense and a great running game.

Unfortunately for us, Minnesota does have a great running game, and their defense is pretty solid too.

The other important question thus becomes how long they can sustain that level of solid play on the defensive side of the ball.

Jared Allen and Kevin Williams still have many good years left in the tank, but what about Pat Williams, who is arguably their most important piece on that defensive front? At 36, how much longer can he play at a high level?

Then you have their secondary: Darren Sharper is aging and not very good to begin with, and they really have no other players to compliment him at safety. In addition, they need another solid young corner.

To get over the hump in the short term, I think more than anything the Vikings need a great WR. But if they want to be a perennial winning team, at least as long as Adrian Peterson is healthy and/or productive, then they need to prepare for some holes they are soon to have on defense.

Right now, they are the paper champions in the NFC North.

But at the end of the day, they're still the Vikings.

A team coached by Brad Childress.

Sharper is gone, isn't he? They did sign Madieu Williams a year or two ago. He was a highly sought after free agent. They also drafted Tyrell Johnson in the 2nd round last year. He was Kiper's #1 or 2 (can't remember) ranked safety in last year's draft.

I agree that WR is a question mark, as well as the CB opposite Winfield.

To me, the Vikings have many fewer weaknesses or questions than the Packers heading into 2009. I don't like the feeling of that.

You are correct.

They drafted a good safety prospect in Tyrell, and they already have M. Williams who was hurt last year. I think they are OK at safety.

They need a starting CB opposite Winfield. I think Griffin is more of a nickel CB.

And if Sidney Rice has a breakout year, well.

The other spots on offense should not be that hard to fill.

Like BR says, the key is Rosenfels. If he comes through, Minny is the team to beat.

Just remember, this is a better overall team than Houston.

But is it a better offense?

This is where I think it gets interesting. Obviously, Adrian Peterson is better than Steve Slaton, but that should in no way be a detriment to Slaton, who was flat out scary down the stretch.

Then you have the receivers. Sage was throwing to one of the best (I think he is thee best) WRs in the NFL in Andre Johnson. Kevin Walter is a nice little #2 (as I'm sure us Packer fans will remember), and Pro Bowler Owen Daniels is a no slouch at TE.

Not too shabby.

Which is better?

The weapons are a little better in Houston, but the line is better in Minnesota, and that's more important IMO.

Hutchinson is the best guard in the NFL.

Peterson is the best RB in the NFL.

And if Sage comes through, Berrian will catch 70 passes.

I think we could be underestimating Tavaris Jackson a bit here.

Personally, I think Rosenfels was brought in to be a solid backup and push Jackson to be even better. Let's not forget that Jackson hit a very nice stride last season with 8 TD's and only 1 INT in his last four games after replacing the injured Frerotte. IMO, he looked like a completely different QB. He looked like that light kind of came on after watching a veteran like Frerotte orchestrate some nice games himself.

He's also not, "small" as someone pointed out. He's 6'2 232 lbs. (according to NFL.com) and can chuck it with the same authority as Aaron Rodgers (yes, I did say that). All he's missing is some consistency.

Did you eat some of the "special" brownies today?

Sorry, just being goofy. I think Rosenfels is a far superior QB to Jackson. Jackson does not display the accuracy necessary to move the chains on a consistent basis. He appears to struggle with progressions. I think Rosenfels is better in both of these aspects and he is a sizable upgrade over Jackson IMO.

lol Maybe I'm just drinking the, "potential" kool-aid with Jackson, because when I see him, I see a lot of it.

I agree.....I see a lot of burger-flipping potential.