In a move that saddens me personally, the Vikings have decided to release TE Jermaine Wiggins. Wiggins is a personal favorite of The Daily Norseman. . .it's not every day you see a fat man hurdle a linebacker, but Wiggy managed to do it on a regular basis. However, Brad Childress' "kick-ass offense" managed to make Wiggins all buy disappear from the game plan, so it was time for him to go.
Methinks I'll have to see if the Vikings' Locker Room will have Wiggy jerseys on clearance in the very near future. I'll have to pick one up. I really hope the guy catches on somewhere else and does well.
In other Vikings' news, the team also released "Love Boat Captain" Fred Smoot and Mike "False Start" Rosenthal. Neither of these moves saddens me in the least.
As far as the receiver front, there have been a few more bigger names cast aside by their employers. The most prominent names on that list are (former) New Orleans Saint Joe Horn and (former) San Francisco 49er Antonio Bryant. No word on whether or not the Vikings plan on pursuing either player.
Now, a couple of personal things.
First off, I want to send some good vibes out to the people of Enterprise, Alabama. When I was stationed at Ft. Rucker, Mrs. Gonzo and I lived in Enterprise, and actually got married at the Coffee County Courthouse in town. It's a nice little place, and to see somewhere that you used to call home get devestated like that is quite an eye-opener. So, try to put them into your thoughts and prayers if you have a moment to do so.
(Incidentally, Mrs. Gonzo and I celebrated our 5th anniversary today. Yeah, I found a woman that's actually tolerated my BS for 5 years. Believe me, nobody's more surprised by this development than I am.)
On a more positive note, I want to thank everyone that has visited the site over the past few weeks. Today was the first day in DN history the site has received more than 300 hits in one day (currently sitting at 305) and our average hits per day is now over the 200 mark. That's a HUGE increase in traffic. We're getting some more comments going on, and business is really starting to pick up around here. Keep it up, everyone!
Free agency kicks off in roughly an hour and 45 minutes. I don't think the Vikings are going to be signing anyone at 12:01 Eastern or anything, but hopefully they'll get involved and get some folks signed.
Have a good night, everyone!