Vikings Have Had a Lot of Off Weeks

Decisions, decisions. For months, rumors have circulated that big-money investors are clamoring to buy a piece of the Minnesota Vikings from Red McCombs in hopes of moving them to Los Angeles, or San Antonio, or Portland, or maybe even Canada. All the talk begs a burning question:

Who on earth would want the Vikings?

Each week, they reach new lows, either on the field or just off it. Cris Carter, once named the NFL’s man of the year, is an egocentric opportunist. He loses his cool on the sideline, apologizes the next day, then does it again. Randy Moss, who signed an eight-year, $75-million deal, is ranked 20th in receiving (one spot ahead of Carter) and disappears for games at a time.

From 1998 through 2000, the first three seasons of McCombs’ ownership, the Vikings were 36-12 and twice reached the NFC championship game. Now, they are 3-5 and quickly tumbling out of contention in the NFC Central.

Since 1992, the Vikings were 9-1 in games played immediately preceding their open date, and 9-1 in games played immediately after. That was a source of pride. This season, their off week was sandwiched by a 41-14 loss to Tampa Bay and a 48-17 loss to Philadelphia. Mind you, that’s 48 points to an Eagle team that had totaled 41 in its previous three games.

“There’s a lot of bad football going on, and we’re right up there,” Carter said.

Despite Coach Dennis Green’s recent guarantees his team will make the playoffs and Moss will score at least 17 touchdowns (he needs 14 in eight games), fans are frustrated enough to yank out their Helga braids.

Carter and Green are close friends, and team insiders say Carter and Moss are afforded a different, more lax set of rules. Carter also has no hesitation about criticizing or correcting teammates, sometimes by way of embarrassing eruptions before thousands of spectators.

During a loss to Chicago, he couldn’t control his anger on the field when he was open but didn’t get the ball. He screamed at quarterback Daunte Culpepper, assistant coach Alex Woods, offensive line coach Mike Tice, even Green.

“He’s an emotional player,” Green said the next day. “And a great competitor. He knows that’s not a good deal. He got a little carried away.”

The latest brushfire: Carter is a pitchman for performance-enhancing pills that contain an herbal stimulant, yohimbe, the Food and Drug Administration considers dangerous. Even the team chaplain is promoting the stuff.

All-pro tackle Korey Stringer died of heatstroke complications after the second day of training camp, and now his widow, Kelci, plans to sue McCombs and several other members of the franchise for $100 million. Things are sure to be awkward during halftime of Monday’s game against the New York Giants, when McCombs will present Kelci with her late husband’s jersey.

Public appearances are increasingly rare for McCombs, once one of the league’s most accessible owners. He hasn’t talked to reporters in weeks. Maybe this time he’ll make himself available.

Step right up, buyers. Please, no pushing.

The Little affair was no little affair.

Pittsburgh receiver Hines Ward flattened Cleveland’s Earl Little with a block Sunday, then proudly stood over the injured Brown safety in a taunting manner.

“He was trash talking right there with [Cleveland cornerback Corey Fuller] the whole game,” Ward said later. “You’ve got to expect you’re going to get it, and he did. He ended up getting knocked out.”

Little sustained a concussion and had to be carted off the field. He said he felt fine Monday, but “I could have been dead. I could have been paralyzed. You don’t have to go out there and act like a jerk. I’m not accepting that.”

But he will have to. At least until the Browns and Steelers meet again in the season finale.

“I can’t sit here and tell you I don’t want to get a good shot on him,” Little said.

“I’m not going to go and intentionally seek him out when we play him, but if my opportunity occurs, that’s when I will unleash.”

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Doctors have cleared Drew Bledsoe to play, but it looks as if New England will stick with Tom Brady for Sunday’s game against St. Louis.

Brady is 5-2 as a starter since taking over after Bledsoe suffered internal bleeding Sept. 23 against the New York Jets. Bledsoe arrived at the hospital by ambulance that night, the left side of his chest filled with blood. Doctors had to insert a chest tube that allowed them to give him back his own blood.

Now, he’s determined to work his way back into the lineup.

“From the time I was a rookie, I’ve been a starter on this team,” he said. “I anticipate being a starter again. That being said, I have to go prove it again.”

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The Jets, who pride themselves on winning ugly, have gone Hollywood. They have a movie poster of their new mascot hanging in their meeting room.

“We’re the Shrek of the league,” running back Curtis Martin said. “We’re the green monster that everyone calls ugly. And we’re fine with that. As long as it’s a W, we could be the ugliest thing on the planet and it wouldn’t make any difference.”

They are 4-0 on the road, but 2-3 at Giants Stadium. Unless they start playing better at home, their Super Bowl hopes are mere fairy tales.