News

Do you have a comment or question? Send it to the vikings.com Mailbag! Every Monday during the season we’ll post several comments and/or questions as part of the vikings.com Monday Morning Mailbag feature. Although we can’t post every comment or question, we will reply to every question submitted.

To submit a comment or question to the mailbag, send an email to Mike Wobschall at wobschallm@vikings.nfl.net. Remember to include your name and town on the email.

Do you see the Vikings going after WR Antonio Bryant? The Bengals have released him and I think he could bring a lot to this team IF his knee is okay. Also, do you see Chris Cook getting the starting job come September 9th against the Saints?
-- Kyle
vikings.com Blog commenter

I don’t see the Vikings pursuing Bryant, for a few reasons. First, I don’t think his knee is where he wants it to be and the last thing the Vikings need right now is another injured WR. Secondly, my guess is Bryant’s salary demands will be higher than the Vikings would be willing to pay. And thirdly, the Vikings adequately addressed their WR needs last week by signing Javon Walker and trading for Greg Camarillo. While those 2 players may not be as sensational as Sidney Rice was last year, they stabilize the position. Also, I’m not sure Bryant would be as sensational as Rice was last year, either. I’m comfortable with what the Vikings have at WR at this point.

As for Cook, I do think he’ll be the starter in New Orleans Week 1. He’s progressed very well as a rookie and he looked the part on Saturday night against Seattle. I thought he looked comfortable in coverage on the right side and I also saw him come up and make 2 nice plays in the open field.

I know the talk is about Tarvaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels on who is making the team. I guess right now in the preseason Rosenfels has been looking more comfortable in the pocket, seems to be reading the defenses and overall has given a better performance than Jackson. Is that because he is primarily going up against mainly the 2nd stringers? And if so, wouldn’t you like to see what he can do against the 1st stringers?
-- Aaron
vikings.com Blog commenter

Without watching more film of both guys over training camp and the preseason and without speaking with a coach or two about it, I’m hesitant to proclaim which of the 2 QB is playing better and what the reasons are for it. On the surface, it seems clear that Rosenfels is playing better, especially given his numbers against the Rams and then the TD drive he led on Saturday night against Seattle. I think Aaron brings up a good point in that Rosenfels has been going against lesser competition than Jackson and I would like to see how Rosenfels performs against a better caliber of competition.

We’ve seen Jackson and Rosenfels in competition for over a year now and Jackson has had the upper hand the entire time. It’ll be interesting to see the next chapter in this competition, which could come as early as Thursday night in the preseason finale.

With the developments at WR do you think they would consider moving Darius Reynaud back to WR with some of the associated formations that were originally scheduled for Percy Harvin? My thought process is that with Harvin being moved to the outside, other than possible reverses or end arounds, he will not be getting as many carries. Reynaud, who has played both RB and WR, has some of the same skills as Harvin.
-- Cory W.

I don’t anticipate Reynaud being moved back to WR; my sense is he’ll continue to work with the RBs in practice. That’s not to say, though, that Reynaud couldn’t be utilized in similar fashion to Harvin, specifically lined up in the slot and then motioned into the backfield, or lined up in the backfield and then sent on a pass route after the snap. I agree that Harvin and Reynaud have similar skill sets, but I would also say Harvin is superior to Reynaud in Harvin’s role. Ultimately, I think each player will have a different role in the offense this year and there won’t be a lot of overlapping in their responsibilities.

I know this is kind of a general question but here it goes. I know that when you put a player on IR he is out for the season. I know that if you come to some settlement agreement that player can sign with any other team. So if we want to keep a player on IR, can we for the whole season? Who pays that player? Can this be used for some sort of little reserve for the team next year? I do realize that the players only have a limited shelf life but sometimes it is better to deal with devil you know more over than the devil you don't.
-- Todd S.

Once a player is placed in IR, he is out for the season, remains on your roster but does not count toward the 53-man limit and is paid by the team. But the rules governing the IR are set up in a way that prevents teams from using IR as a way to stash players. One example is players who are placed on IR and have fewer than 4 seasons accrued are exposed to waivers before they land on IR.

I really liked what FB Ryan D’Imperio put on tape Saturday night. Do you think it was enough to make the cut? He gives it up on special teams as well and he is pushing Fahu Tahi, who is feeling him and I believe has elevated his game some because of it. Any way they keep both players?
-- Michael R.
Wayzata, MN

No, what D’Imperio put on tape Saturday night was not enough alone to make the roster. Instead, the Vikings will look at his entire body of work since arriving here to determine if he’s worthy of a spot on the 53-man roster. I will say, though, that given the fact D’Imperio is a converted LB, I think he’s given a good accounting of himself and has a shot to make an NFL roster some day. It would surprise me to see both D’Imperio and Tahi on the Vikings 53-man roster.

Which WRs are looking most in-sync with Brett Favre right now?
-- Chad M.
Douglasville, GA

To be honest, this is tough to assess right now because Favre has thrown just 27 passes since returning to the club. Even in practice, there isn’t 1 receiver who stands out as being more in-synch with Favre than any other. Bernard Berrian has had a nice camp and looks to be in top form, so I anticipate him and Favre having a nice connection this season. And I’d say that Greg Camarillo, Percy Harvin and Visanthe Shiancoe will all develop a good rapport with Favre as time goes on. For now, though, it’s hard to say and if I had to point to 1 guy I guess it’d be Berrian.