Vikings Once Again Decide It's Thyme For Sage

by Christopher Gates on Dec 2, 2011 3:24 PM CST in Minnesota Vikings 2011 Season

Welcome back. . .Chilly was your ticket out. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Apparently the Minnesota Vikings had a different idea about how to fill their quarterback depth chart than I did.

Per numerous sources, the Vikings have claimed quarterback Sage Rosenfels off of waivers from the Miami Dolphins.

Rosenfels was with the New York Giants during the pre-season, but spent most of the pre-season hospitalized with complications from strep throat. He was released by the Giants in October, and then signed by the Dolphins after they lost starter Chad Henne for the season. He became ill again after signing with Miami as well, and was on Miami's reserve/non-football injury list before being waived on Thursday.

So, we have a veteran to back up Christian Ponder now. I'm not really surprised that they decided to go the direction of a veteran rather than another developmental guy, but I guess they decided they needed a veteran who was content to be a backup rather than someone that thought they were still going to be a starting quarterback.

Welcome back to Minnesota, Sage Rosenfels.

EDIT: Apparently, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Vikings DID attempt to sign a quarterback off of a team's practice squad. Only, instead of Denver's Adam Weber, it was Atlanta's John Parker Wilson.

Not sure if they would have gone with Rosenfels had they been successful, but it stands to reason that they would not have.

EDIT to the EDIT: Also, (not) surprisingly, nobody claimed Donovan McNabb off of waivers, so the Vikings will owe him the balance of his salary, a shade less than $1.5 million.

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This is interesting

I wonder how Sage truly feels about being back in Minnesota after how he was treated with the Favre fiasco and then the TJack hiccup(nice way of puting it).

White Horn Gold Pants

by DM_Purp on Dec 2, 2011 3:31 PM CST reply actions

Oh, and also...I wonder how he likes knowing that he's officially a backup for life.

[hopefully he figured this out when he got waived by Miami, of all teams]

White Horn Gold Pants

by DM_Purp on Dec 2, 2011 3:32 PM CST up reply actions

With Childress gone

I imagine he feels pretty ok about it.

by Cobra312004 on Dec 2, 2011 3:44 PM CST up reply actions

good point

White Horn Gold Pants

by DM_Purp on Dec 2, 2011 3:50 PM CST up reply actions

What Sage was thinking

Since Sage is career backup, I’m guessing he was thinking: Shit, I get to make millions of dollars here holding a clipboard, while the other guy is getting killed? Time for some ping pong.

by dsludo on Dec 2, 2011 5:53 PM CST up reply actions

Was he told he would star?

And wasn’t it a trade?

by amiller92 on Dec 3, 2011 8:39 AM CST up reply actions

First Sapp, now the Rosencopter.

When will Darius Reynaud come back to the team?

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by KJSegall on Dec 2, 2011 3:33 PM CST reply actions

Maybe

Moss will come back too. Hey to fill in for AP we’ll bring back Robert Smith.

by PurplePrideforLife! on Dec 2, 2011 4:01 PM CST up reply actions

Robert Smith

Is one of my top 3 Viking RB’s, along with Chuck Foreman. Even though Bill Brown regularly hit the line like a Mack truck.

by liveforadrenaline on Dec 2, 2011 4:35 PM CST up reply actions

It's the safe move

But not the move I was hoping for. We know what we get with Sage I guess, but we know he’ll never move up the depth chart unless there are multiple injuries. I would rather look at developing a promising player, like Weber, who could turn into something more. If we were in a playoff run right now I could see the logic for a solid backup vet, but that’s not the case.

Oh well, at least we won’t have to keep Camarillo as the emergency QB this way :)

Hopefully he’ll be a good mentor for Ponder. Welcome back, Sage.

P.S. I’m sure there are some of you out there thinking this is a great move because Sage knows our offense. Just a reminder that our offense changed when Musgrave became the OC this year.

by igjoe on Dec 2, 2011 3:46 PM CST reply actions

Its definitely the safe move

but we do have 2 QBs on the roster with a lot of potential, Ponder being the focus there. I think it reenforces our committment to Ponder. Not that a guy like Weber is going to threaten his starting job, but having a QB on the roster that’s been around a few year(like McNabb), but doesn’t pose a threat to the starting spot(unlike McNabb) is good for the 2 young QBs we have.

White Horn Gold Pants

by DM_Purp on Dec 2, 2011 3:53 PM CST up reply actions

Let's not overrate Weber

MAJOR accuracy issues

by amiller92 on Dec 3, 2011 8:40 AM CST up reply actions

Totally called it

WELCOME BACK, COPTER!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVS3WNt7yRU

by Purpledork on Dec 2, 2011 3:55 PM CST reply actions

On a positive note:

For a change, the Vikes are getting a end of the line qb for a BACKUP.

by Chris3 on Dec 2, 2011 4:02 PM CST reply actions

good pick up

This is a good guy with a team first mentality. Still wouldn’t mind going after Weber.

by bigjohn53 on Dec 2, 2011 4:15 PM CST reply actions

Great move

he has to be one of the better backups in the league and i’m glad we got him back.

by muffin man on Dec 2, 2011 4:23 PM CST reply actions

Just saw the edit to the post

So if we attempted to sign someone off of a practice squad, what would have prevented us from completing that signing? Is there anything other than the player declining the offer that would have stopped that?

by igjoe on Dec 2, 2011 4:24 PM CST reply actions

If a team attempts

To sign a player off of an opposing practice squad, the team can block that by promoting the player to their 53-man roster. That’s what the Falcons did with Wilson, and why the Vikings were unable to sign him.

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by Christopher Gates on Dec 2, 2011 5:10 PM CST up reply actions

Great Simon and Garfunkel reference.

by Murlock on Dec 2, 2011 4:28 PM CST reply actions

Not really a major move, but I would have looked for another practice squad guy.

On a positive note, he’s a veteran mentor for Ponder and Webb.

"I wanted to do it because it's fun, it's fun to do bad things and drive into a car."

by PurplePeopleEaters on Dec 2, 2011 4:30 PM CST reply actions

I am wondering.

I read somewhere a statement made by Frazier about Webb getting more time as a receiver this week. It would then make sense to take a veteran instead of a prospect to back up our two QB’s. Our receiving core is pretty abysmal and they could still use a veteran to help mentor Ponder and Webb. Sage always seemed like a team first kind of guy.

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by Thor82 on Dec 2, 2011 4:32 PM CST reply actions

Unless of course the prospect was already familiar with the offense...

say like maybe an Atlanta practice squad QB.

by Jshore on Dec 2, 2011 7:37 PM CST up reply actions

Awesome. I really liked Sage, and it's good to see a team-first vet kind of guy coming in to be a backup.

When was the last time that happened? Ponder’s going to love this guy as a mentor I think. Getting my Jon Gruden on? :P

"Like I said, I don’t think anybody on this team knows what schism is, let alone could use it in a sentence. I thought it was an STD when I first heard it. And I was like whoa, we preach abstinence around these parts." - Jared Allen

by Landonio on Dec 2, 2011 9:33 PM CST reply actions

OK

When he was traded to NY Chillmaster was asked why him and not TJ and the response was we did not get any offers for TJ. I am glad he is back. He would have been a better man to start 1-6 than McFlop. Notr a major move thought. Ponder and WEB are out #1 & #2 for years to come.

ON offense we are set at QB, TE RB and slot reciever. All we need is everything else, coaches, and a good GM.

by ZygiZag on Dec 3, 2011 10:47 AM CST reply actions