Fan Impatience

Vikings fans are losing their little minds right about now with regards to free agency. I'm sure fans from all teams, excepting the Eagles, are going through this. I just know the Vikings best. Fans automatically attribute lack of transaction news as lack of action. The Internet, and it's instant access to everything, certainly enhances this feeling. If fans don't get news, the teams must be asleep. Every free agent is there for their team to take, so grab them now. It's the typical kid in a candy store reaction. It's kind of sad really. Some fans never seem to grasp the fact that there has to be a mutual interest between team and player to sign a contract. Even if there is a mutual interest, there is a process that takes place. It's called a negotiation. Sometimes a negotiation takes a little time. It rarely magically happens simply because fans want it. I read the timeline of the process that ended with the Vikings trading with the Chiefs for defensive end Jared Allen. It was a process that took three months. Granted, a trade is a bit more complicated than your basic free agent signing. It's just an example of the time involved in a transaction. Lack of news rarely equals lack of work. The rushed time period of this year changes some things, but there is still a process. As for the Vikings during this shortened process, I have an even greater disbelief with the fans anxieties. In a handful of days, the Vikings have traded for Donovan McNabb and signed three free agents. Adding a starting QB is usually considered a fairly significant transaction. You could stop there and most would claim the team as being pretty active. The Vikings didn't stop there. They added another starter with the signing of defensive tackle Remi Ayodele. Receivers Michael Jenkins and Devin Aromashodu were also signed this week. Jenkins will likely start opposite Percy Harvin. Aromashodu has excellent size and speed and brings a nice mix to the recceiving group. Adding three starters and a potentially significant role player doesn't really strike me as being inactive. Too many fans have been raised on fantasy football and Madden.