EJ Henderson is ready to go
by vikesfan4lyf on Jul 27, 2010 8:24 AM CDT
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http://www.startribune.com/sports/vikings/99284889.html
Middle linebacker E.J. Henderson, who broke the femur in his left leg in December, might be active when the Vikings hold their first practice of training camp on Friday. But odds are strong that cornerback Cedric Griffin will open camp on the physically unable to perform list because of knee surgery.
There were questions about whether Henderson ever would play again after his injury in a Dec. 6 game at Arizona, but he was able to do limited work in the Vikings minicamp in June and made it clear he planned to be on the field for the start of camp in Mankato.
Coach Brad Childress watched Henderson go through drills on Wednesday and said the veteran had "maybe just a little hitch," but that was it.
"He won't have any trouble cutting it loose," Childress said. "He's so adamant about wanting to be out there Day 1. He feels like he's lifted all these weights, done all the running, all the rehab and now you've got to play football. The only way to play football is to play football."
Childress and the Vikings medical staff plan to discuss Henderson's situation this week before making a determination.
If Henderson were to open camp on the "active" PUP, he would be allowed to rehab and take part in meetings but could not practice. The move would not impact his status for the regular season, and Henderson would count against the 80-man limit. Players placed on the "reserve" PUP at the end of the preseason aren't eligible to play for the first six weeks of the season and don't count against the 53-man roster.
Griffin is likely to be on the "active" PUP come Friday in order to give him more time to recover from the torn anterior cruciate ligament he suffered in his left knee on the opening kickoff of overtime in the NFC title game.
"As we sit here today, I can't see what merit it would have to have him out there running around," Childress said.
Griffin was hurt on Jan. 24, and ACL tears are projected as six- to nine-month injuries. The Vikings aren't going to want to take any chances with Griffin's recovery by rushing him. Lito Sheppard, Asher Allen and Benny Sapp all stand to get reps with the first-team defense at right corner if Griffin isn't active at the start of camp.
Etc.• Wide receiver Bernard Berrian, whose average yards per catch dropped from an NFL-leading 20.1 in 2008 to 11.2 last season as he battled hamstring injuries, said he is "perfectly fine now," and "ready to go" for training camp.
• The Vikings will wait to see how wide receiver Sidney Rice (hip) feels when he arrives at training camp before making any determination about whether to go slow with him. Rice was injured in the playoffs and has seen specialists, who did not believe the injury required surgery.
• The Vikings agreed to terms with seventh-round draft pick Mickey Shuler Jr., a tight end out of Penn State, on a four-year deal. Shuler's signing bonus will be around $63,000. The Vikings have reached deals with three of their eight picks, including linebacker Nate Triplett (fifth round) and fullback (seventh round). Second-rounders Chris Cook (cornerback) and Toby Gerhart (running back) have yet to come to terms.
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Good News.
I will be there in person to see some REVENGE on Sept 9th,2010!
Brett Favre is the Greatest QB in NFL History, Bar None!
Brett Favre will be back in 2010, Guaranteed!
Brett Favre will lead the Vikings to a Victory in Super Bowl XLV, Guaranteed!
I hope he can come back and play at his level from a couple of years ago
I really hope so.
But I have my doubts.
And there is the important fact of his salary. He is set to make 4.1 mil this year and 4.7 mil next year.
That is some “tall cotton”!
If he is unable to start then I would have to believe the front office will try and get him to renegotiate his deal to something more appropriate. How ironic would that be?
They cannot give Edwards a new deal because of the CBA status but they can ask EJ to take a cut perhaps.
This will be very interesting to watch for me.
I am hoping he can come back and start.
At the same time I am interested in Brinkley getting in there for a full season.
Perhaps they will attempt to trade EJ for some offensive line help before the season starts?
Maybe EJ & Herrera and a pick to the Patriots for Logan Mankins?
If EJ does indeed regain his form it may not be a bad idea.
Or it could be a terrible idea.
Either way I am pulling for him to get back his starting spot!
I also hope EJ starts this year.
A scenario I’ve considered in the case EJ loses a step is that next year Brinkley takes over the middle and EJ takes over for Leber as I think his contracts up after this year. Ideally I’d just like to see Henderson be healthy and back to that near pro-bowl level from a couple of years ago.
by CanadianViking on Jul 27, 2010 12:25 PM CDT up reply actions
You dont get rid of the heart
of your D. That simple. EJ is the heart and sould of that Defensive and everybody knows that.
I love Twins Baseball and Minnesota Vikings Football.
by Percy Harvin My Fav! on Jul 27, 2010 12:52 PM CDT up reply actions
Cant argue with that
But money talks and the rest walks
I would not be surprised if he is asked to take a pay cut if he does not start the season opener.
I do not doubt that is one of the reasons he is working as hard as he has been to get back out there.
It will be money well spent though if he does indeed come back.
Plus they will have Brinkley waiting in the wings!
Money is not the issue with EJ
In 2007 the Vikings gave EJ a 10 Million dollar signing bonus. A 5 year 25 Million dollar contract. They only owe him 4.3 Mil this year and 4.7 Mil next year under that contract. If he can play to the same level as in 2007,2008, and 2009 he certainly will be worth the same money as in those years.
I would guess that the idea is to have Jasper ready by the time EJ’s contract expires in two years..
"Is it normal to wake up in the morning in a sweat because you can't wait to beat another human's guts out?"
Joe Kapp
by lifelongvike on Jul 28, 2010 7:05 AM CDT up reply actions
Very true
If he can play he will be worth it. If he can’t play it is doubtful that he will be on this or any other team.
Did you see where Elvis Dummerville got his 10 Million per year? 4 years guaranteed pay. 10 Mil is the new normal for great players. How did they give him a raise from 3.5 Mil to 10 Mil for 6 years under the 30% rule?
"Is it normal to wake up in the morning in a sweat because you can't wait to beat another human's guts out?"
Joe Kapp
by lifelongvike on Jul 29, 2010 6:30 AM CDT up reply actions
Yes I saw that Elvis has entered the building
He signed his tender which made his salary for 2010 $3.168 mil.
Here is what I found about the 30% rule …
The “30% Rule” governs veteran contracts that are entered into in a capped year and extend into the final year of the CBA. The rule states that these contracts cannot have an annual increase of more than 30% of the salary, excluding amounts treated as a signing bonus, provided for in the FINAL CAPPED YEAR. If the CBA is not extended, then 2009 will be the final capped year.
and another article …
http://www.sportsagentblog.com/2010/07/28/anatomy-of-the-nfl-30-percent-rule/
Elvis got this …
7/22/2010: Signed a six-year, $61.5 million contract. The deal contains $43.156 million guaranteed, including a $3 million signing bonus and Dumervil’s first, second, and third years’ base salaries. 2010: $680,000, 2011-2012: $14 million, 2013: $12 million, 2014: $10 million, 2015: $9 million, 2016: Free Agent
What I am not sure about is if the 30% applies to his new salary which would be the $3.168 mil for 2010. I think that does go off of that.
And looking at the rotoworld info it is hard to decipher just how much constitutes salary vs the guaranteed amounts.
It is clear they did not give him a huge signing bonus but they did guarantee his salaries for the first 3 years which I believe means they are considered some type of bonus and not the annual salary.
Whatever. They got it done. The Vikings should go ahead and get it done for AP, Rice, & Greenway IMHO.
I gotta keep banging the drum on this because next year when free agency rolls around and all of these RFAs from this year are out there, the Vikings may not be in position to do anything because they need to sign a bunch of guys. And you know us fans will be pissed.
I heard that the Vikes want to extend McKinney and Edwards first.
Then sign the secondary guys like AP and Rice. :)
Does the 30% rule apply at all since Dummerville’s new contract was entered into in a non-capped year? great info btw
"Is it normal to wake up in the morning in a sweat because you can't wait to beat another human's guts out?"
Joe Kapp
by lifelongvike on Jul 29, 2010 3:06 PM CDT up reply actions
Woh
Secondary guys = Rice/AP?
Primary Guys = Edwards/Mckinnie?
HAHAHA! where is the /end sarcasm!!!
I like..
/end sarcasm
Little more nerdy, but clarifies alot better.
/end sarcasm
I will try and remember that. Since my sarcasm isn’t always that understandable it will probably be better to be specific.
But I bet Marksp18 got it, since we have had our divergent theories on these players for 6 months now.
"Is it normal to wake up in the morning in a sweat because you can't wait to beat another human's guts out?"
Joe Kapp
by lifelongvike on Jul 30, 2010 2:55 PM CDT up reply actions
Only problem I see with that is he's our man in the seam
and we got torched by TE’s in the seam last year. Brinkley made some good plays and helped us stuff the run but his pass D on TE’s wasn’t the best. It is nice to have to solid MLB’s though.
It's a lot easier to love the Vikings when they win...
This is very good news
It was always hoped, even expected, that this would be the case, even as early as the morning after the injury. But it’s good to get actual confirmation. Hopefully we’ll find out soon if he really has come back “all the way”
I still have nightmares about that break. I recall the announcers would not show the replay. I rewound my live PVR recording and rewatched it once. That was once too many for me.
Maybe when Pat Williams retires
we can switch to a 3-4 defense and have Henderson and Brinkley in the middle instead of trying to find a replacement for pat. and then we can put Robinson or Griffin at the OLB position whichever one is more agile when leber’s contract is up.
Wouldn't want to waste Jared Allen though
"Baseball is the only major sport that appears backward in a mirror" ~George Carlin
by thewild_viking_twins on Jul 27, 2010 5:08 PM CDT up reply actions
maybe he can switch to a demarcus ware kind of role?
by vikesfan4lyf on Jul 27, 2010 5:48 PM CDT up reply actions
Why would a very successful defensive team switch formats?
Are you planning on changing your head coach, defensive coordinator, and linebacker coach to implement such a change? They are the ones that draw up the scheme and implement it. If a 4-3 system works why would you change it?
"Is it normal to wake up in the morning in a sweat because you can't wait to beat another human's guts out?"
Joe Kapp
by lifelongvike on Jul 28, 2010 7:09 AM CDT up reply actions
to fit our personel
with pat williams retired and brinkley on the verge of being a starter it would seem like a 3-4 could fit who we have. Allen and Edwards off the edge, Williams in the middle, EJ and Brinkley at MLB, and Leber and Greenway on the outsides…And you’d still have Griffin and Robison who have very high motors for rushing the qb
Just thinkin about it though i might do it when the new Madden comes out and see how it works for me.
by vikesfan4lyf on Jul 28, 2010 8:10 AM CDT up reply actions
Do you believe that coaching philosophy is the key to that change?
I would venture a guess that finding a Phat Pat replacement will be easier than getting Chilly to change his defensive philosophy.
Here are my other issues. Kevin Williams is a three technique DT not a NT.
Brinkley is a long way from being a good pass coverage LB.
Changing DEs to OLB is only easy on paper. Many teams have had great difficulty having DE’s pick their hand off the ground. I suspect a change to the 3-4 would insure at least two years of not being a division winner.
Maybe watching the Redskins make the switch this year will give me a better understanding of the issues involved.
"Is it normal to wake up in the morning in a sweat because you can't wait to beat another human's guts out?"
Joe Kapp
by lifelongvike on Jul 28, 2010 10:15 AM CDT up reply actions
Big emotional lift for the defense if he can make it back opening night
But I like the fact that Brinkley could do the job if he had to.
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He is a warrior !
We need him week #1 . The next four after that his pass cover skills can rest . Weeks #6-8 he needs to be at full strength . 10-12 too . 14-16 . He has a few breaks but there are 10 games that need this intangables .
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