No Throwback Thursday today. It's Free Agency today. Oh, there might be some past free agency references for those that miss those days long ago. Yesterday, the Minnesota Vikings dipped into the free agency pool. They found themselves a new tight end in John Carlson. He's from Litchfield, Minnesota so he's coming home. By way of Notre Dame and the Seattle Seahawks, he's coming home. He'll form an interesting duo with fellow Notre Damer Kyle Rudolph at tight end. With the retirement of Jim Kleinsasser and now free agent loss of Visanthe Shiancoe, tight end had become a need for the Vikings. I was hoping that Shiancoe would be re-signed but the team got younger and perhaps more versatile with Carlson. The New England Patriots have made a nice blueprint of the possibilities of tight ends that can produce like receivers. It was a nice start for the Vikings in the 2012 free agency market but most fans of the team found it a day late and not nearly enough.
There was a suicide watch in Vikings Nation on the first two days of spending. Too many football fans are raised on Madden and Fantasy Football. Every player is available and every player is a perfect fit and every player is dying to play for your team. Of course, teams are created in a day of spending. The Vikings' supposedly faithful fans lost a little more of their minds with each signing made by another team. Sure, I would have loved for the Vikings to have signed Pierre Garcon and Brandon Carr but I don't make those decisions and they may have had no desire to move to Minnesota. Some fans simply don't get that players might prefer to play in certain cities. I also wouldn't pay the prices that it took to buy those players. Sometimes it's smart to sit out bidding wars that you're not sure that you want to win. When a player signs quickly and for a ton it's clear what's on their mind. They aren't shopping around as much as they are looking for that one great pay day. Sometimes it's fun to be players in free agency. It's like Christmas in March. 2006 was a blast when the Vikings signed Steve Hutchinson, Chester Taylor, Ben Leber and Ryan Longwell in the first few days. All were smart signings with only Hutchinson being an elite player. All were solid performers for the Vikings and helped form the core of the 2009 team that should have represented the NFC in the Super Bowl. It pays to be smart in free agency. The Washington Redskins during owner Dan Snyder's reign have often gone a bit nutty in free agency. They don't have much to show for it. The Philadelphia Eagles put together the supposed Dream Team last summer. That team was a mess. Big spending never creates a team. Smart spending usually does. Spending big on difference-makers has had it's moments since the first true free agent class of '93. Reggie White's impact on the Green Bay Packers created a Champion. Deion Sanders did it twice in San Francisco and Dallas. Drew Brees turned around the New Orleans Saints. That's not a lot in twenty years of dealing. Fans from most teams should back away from the cliffs. If history repeats, it's the fans of teams spending big that should probably worry. Besides, nothing is won in March.
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