Does Rick Spielman Have Something Up His Sleeves? Vikings Fans Sure Hope So...

So far, this is not the off-season that fans of the Minnesota Vikings had hoped for.

At the beginning of the free agent signing period, the vikings reportedly had $33.3 million in cap room for the 2009 season.  That is $9 million more than the next closest team.

With so much money to throw around, Vikings fans had hope for just a few key acquisitions that could boost them into Super Bowl contention.

And then it happened.... the moment we were waiting for....

"The Vikings have traded for Houston Texans QB Sage Rosenfels".  I still remember the first time that I heard it on ESPN, I was caught between two different emotions - sadness and laughter.  And to top it all off, the Vikings had signed him to a $9 million, three year extension.

Rosenfel's contact is probably back-loaded, but lets jut say that he counts $3 million against this years cap, for arguments sake.

Jim Kleinsasser was also re-signed, a move that pleased many fans.  Kleinsasser is a valuable veteran, and his blocking has been a key part of the running game.  His contract was also for three years, and $9 million.  Lets just say for the sake of argument that he will also count about $3 million against the cap this year.

I have never even come close to being nominated for the Nobel Prize in mathematics, but by my calculations, that leaves the Vikings with atleast $27 million available to spend this off-season.

Obviously there must be money saved for the upcoming draft picks, but unless the Vikings are planning on trading into the first, second, and third picks of the first round.... I think there is still some money left to be spent.

What do you have planned for us Mr. Spielman?

Are you smarter than I think?  Are you planning some blockbuster deal behind the scenes right this very second?

I believe that you are a smart man, or that you are working with smart men at the least.  To be able to put this franchise in a position to have this much cap room, and still have the foundation of a playoff caliber team, speaks for itself.

My concerns begin to surface with the trade for Sage Rosenfel's, but I do not pretend to know more about football than an NFL general manager or player personnel V.P., so I decided to give it a chance.

But now that Matt Birk has signed with the Baltimore Ravens, and Heath Farwell appears to be touring the country visiting teams that might be willing to give him the opportunity to play on defense.... I am more than worried.

There don't appear to be any quality starting centers left out in the market, and what is really sad, is that I think I just classified Jason Brown as a quality center... but that is for another time.

Special teams doesn't look much better if Farwell is not re-signed, now that the other "ace" of the special teams has been released.  Vinny Ciurciu was signed by the Vikings in 2007, after earning recognition with the Carolina Panthers for his special teams play.  His time with the Vikings never seemed to live up to the expectations.

Well it looks like we have lost a few good free agents, and have gained an unproven, 30-year-old quarterback.  The Vikings are still sitting on a stack of cash that surpasses that of almost every other NFL team, but they are holding onto it.... for what?

What do you have planned Mr. Spielman?  are you going to "wow" us with something in the days to come? 

I had previously written that the Vikings did not need to go out and make a big splash in free agency, and that they needed to focus on their unrestricted free agents, and get us a quarterback that can take us all the way to the promised land....

If Birk and Farwell both walk, and Sage is the man under center in '09.... I think the Vikes are going to need some kind of X-factor player besides Adrian Peterson.  The only problem is that I don't really see one on the horizon.

radponte.com