Some Thoughts

Here are some football thoughts that have bounced through my head recently.

1. Former New England Patriots complaining about having "no fun" when they were with the team is getting tiresome. Actually it's not getting tiresome. It's been tiresome from the start. Philadelphia Eagles guard Brandon Brookis complained about the Patriots and he's never been on the team. He figured that playing for Bill O'Brien with the Houston Texans was close enough so he felt like joining the bitching. Even worse, Brooks' linemate Lane Johnson was one of the first to bitch about the lack of football fun in New England. He never played for the Patriots or a Belichick disciple. You'd think that a team that beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl wouldn't be so infatuated with them. To quote Jay Cutler: "Who caaaares?"

2. Gambling. I know that I'm in the minority on this but I've never understood the thinking that people need some "action" on a football game to make the football game interesting. Football is fun. Football is interesting.

3. The New York Jets beat writers and the national talking heads seemed quite surprised that Teddy Bridgewater looked good, even great, at the offseason workouts. I guess that the expectation was that he'd still be rehabbing the knee that he busted more than two seasons ago. I guess that they forgot that he was cleared to practice with the Minnesota Vikings last season and even appeared in a game. He didn't do much in that game but he was on the field in a live, regular season, NFL game. It was against a Cincinnati Bengals team that had pretty much packed it for that game and the season but it was the real thing. Really. It was. He was cleared to do football things then so it shouldn't be surprise that he's doing them now. What Bridgewater's doing shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that knows anything about him. He's a terrific quarterback and an even better person. As great as he's looking now his return from that brutal knee injury won't be complete until he's taken a live NFL hit and gotten up for another play. He will take that hit and he will get up. And it wouldn't surprise me if he keeps Sam Darnold on the bench for a while.

4. I could see a Minnesota Vikings-Los Angeles Chargers Super Bowl. I'd especially like to see the Vikings part of that vision. It's been too long.

5. There's still nearly two months before training camp but I'd sure like to see the Vikings sign first round pick, cornerback Mike Hughes. They signed seven of their eight draft picks within the first week following the draft. Nearly a month later and Hughes is still unsigned. This unfinished business just kinda nags at me.

6. I've enjoyed NFL Network's Top 100 Players countdown since the first one in 2011. It's fun. I like that it runs from the week after the draft through June. The supposed down time of the NFL calendar. I like that the players do the voting. It's their list. Players never get a say in rankings like this. Now they do. The best part of all is the player commentary. It's always informative and often hilarious.

7. I still can't believe that the Chargers were able to select Derwin James with the 17th pick.

8. Injuries at the end of last season forced the Vikings to move right tackle Mike Remmers to right guard in Week 17 and left guard for the playoffs. He played much better at right tackle for 15 games than he did at guard for three games many. Much better. I guess because he finished the season at guard many beat writers and fans seem to think that he's now a guard. They seem to ignore the fact that Remmers was only playing the position because injuries forced the move. The Vikings are going to try and get the best five offensive linemen on the field. Maybe that combination has Remmers at guard but it's a bit silly to assume that. If his play last season is any indication he's a much better tackle than guard. Much better. In six NFL seasons he's played three games at guard. There's a reason for that. Remmers is a tackle. He's a tackle that might move to guard if that benefits the entire offensive line. A training camp at guard will be much better for him and the team than a handful of practices at the end of the season. If Remmers does move to guard I hope that it's because second-round pick Brian O'Neill is ready to step in at tackle as a rookie.

9. I'd sure like to see Adrian Peterson sign with a team soon. And stay healthy throughout the season. When he wraps up his fantastic NFL career I want it to be on his terms. He can still play.

10. I still can't believe that Kirk Cousins is the Vikings quarterback.