02-18-2005, 12:21 AM
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billwilliams70
is missin' out on FC Falcon football in the playoffs!
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Join Date: Oct 2004
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Vikings focus on filling holes
Quote:
The Vikings might be changing owners soon, but the business of football goes on at Winter Park.
A day after Arizona businessman Reggie Fowler signed a $625 million purchase agreement to buy the team from Red McCombs, coach Mike Tice filled the position of quarterbacks coach Tuesday with the hiring of former San Francisco 49ers assistant Rich Olson.
Tice and his staff will set a priority free-agent list this afternoon and within the next week will submit an offseason plan to McCombs that will include a recommendation the team not trade star receiver Randy Moss.
Despite repeated denials by Vikings officials, Moss has been the subject of countless trade rumors since the season ended, but Tice said it's a dead issue as far as he's concerned.
"We're not trading him," Tice said. "He's not on the trading block. We've received no calls. We're not trying to shop him or any of our running backs, either."
A possible Moss trade is just one item on the agenda during this transition period for the Vikings, with McCombs continuing as owner until Fowler's bid can be reviewed by the NFL's finance committee and voted on by league owners.
With the free-agency signing period scheduled to open March 2 and no vote on the sale expected until the March 20-23 owners meeting in Maui, at the earliest, that means McCombs will have to sign off on every signing, but he and the Vikings insist it will be business as usual.
"We'll do like we always have done," McCombs said. "We'll take a look and see if there's a way to help our club. I don't see any change, basically. We're moving on."
Tice, asked if he is confident he'll get McCombs' full financial support, said: "Absolutely. That's a very strong absolutely."
The Vikings are more than $30 million under the salary cap and have plenty of money to spend, and McCombs disagreed with an assumption that he might be inclined to spend less.
"It's not safe to assume anything," he said. "We'll move right on like we've always done. Just keep moving on."
Vice president of football operations Rob Brzezinski declined to comment on the size of the team's free-agent budget but said another high-profile signing, such as last year's signing of cornerback Antoine Winfield, is possible.
"Red told us when we put to him what we need to do to improve the football team, he's going to support us and do what we need to do," Brzezinski said. "If that guy's out there, it's something he'll consider. That's the way we've done it in the past, and that's the way we're going to do it this year."
Tice said he and his coaches would put together a free-agent list Thursday based on rankings by position, then rank the top 10 free agents regardless of position or team.
Tice said free-agent Vikings tight end Jermaine Wiggins would fit in somewhere on that list and confirmed the team's main areas of need.
"We need veteran leadership on defense," he said. "That's something I've said since the season ended. I should say we need additional veteran leadership on defense, and we need that probably at one of two positions, linebacker and safety, if not both."
As for his new quarterbacks coach, Tice said Olson came highly recommended by people he trusts, such as Oakland Raiders coach Norv Turner.
Contrary to a published report, Tice said he hasn't decided to handle the play calling himself this season, although he could relay the calls from offensive coordinator Steve Loney.
"I have to have some input this year based on a new coordinator, a new quarterback coach and a new receiver coach," Tice said. "I'm going to find a way to make sure I have input in a timely fashion. Right now, that's the only thing that's certain."
Briefly: Former New York Jets assistant Mose Rison will interview today for the job of wide receivers coach, and former Detroit Lions assistant Larry Kirksey will be in later this week. Quarterbacks coach runner-up Kevin Higgins and Vikings special-teams assistant Chris Walsh also are on Tice's list, and Tice said he hopes to fill his final coaching vacancy before the staff leaves for the scouting combine in Indianapolis next Wednesday.
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Later.
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