[size=18px]The daily buzz[/size]
Compiled by Michael Rand, Star Tribune
Last update: February 18, 2006 – 1:05 AM
on the beat la velle e. neal iii
It's good to see that Vikings owner Zygi Wilf isn't afraid to boast about his team. Unfortunately, I have firsthand experience with this.
I spent last weekend at Izatys Golf and Yacht Club in Onamia as a guest of two of my best friends in town, KFAN's Paul Allen and his wife Julie. P.A. had a few duties in connection with the Vikings' annual Arctic Blast, so he and Julie invited some friends up to hang out for the weekend. P.A. and I left the group Friday night and headed over to Grand Casino Mille Lacs, where Zygi and the players were staying. Oh yeah, we headed straight for the blackjack tables. (Closed-circuit to Mewelde Moore: The next time you have 12 and the dealer is showing 8, take a hit!)
I took a break after an hour and was chatting with some people when I looked over and spotted Zygi talking with P.A. and Vikings PR maven Bob Hagan. I asked Hagan to introduce us, and P.A. jumped right in.
"Zygi, he's from Chicago," P.A. said, referring to me, "so guess which team he roots for?"
Zygi looked me over before speaking.
"Your team had a nice season," he began. "But we're going to playing the Cover 2 [defense], so we will be practicing against it this year. We will learn how to beat it and will be dominating your team for years to come."
This threw me off guard. I think I stammered something like, "How are you going to stop Rex Grossman?" -- which really was a weak comeback, I'll admit that. I was waiting for Zygi to ask me something about baseball. I may also have still been in brain-lock after watching Mewelde's decisions at the blackjack table.
But Zygi obviously feels he has reason to expect a big year from the Vikings, one big enough to topple my Bears as NFC North champions. He gets props from me for talking a little trash.
I just want to know one thing. When your team is practicing against the Cover 2, who is playing the role of Brian Urlacher? And Mike Brown? And Lance Briggs? And Nathan Vasher?
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