Matt Birk likely a no-show at Minnesota Vikings' OTAs

Hey, everyone -

Is it OK if me,'Purple Pride', and 'FIRE CHILDRESS NOW' join this board? We're regular posters over on the Pioneer Press Vikings blog, but some jerk has been posting with our usernames lately to make us look like gay lovers and other obnoxious stuff, and we just want to start fresh somewhere else. And we're NOT actually gay lovers, by the way. Not that it matters, I'm just saying...

Thanks in advance.

What is it I don't understand about the word "Voluntary"? I also have a foggy understanding of the meaning of "contract". Ah, the beauty of professional sports, that "anti-trust exempt", "public money for private owners" world where the good guys and bad guys all make enough money in a year to buy all the money most of us will ever make in our lives.

Ummm... "Purple Pride" and "Fire Childress Now" post here quite frequently. I haven't noticed any of the homo crap on here... Did you get the "papers" wrong? The "moniker thief thing" is pretty much a thing of the past on here. Maybe you meant The "STrib"??? There's a lot of posters there that are more worried about who "posts first", eachothers' jobs, fishing trips, Etc. etc.- than talking much actual football.(SOMETIMES they do)

I'm not too worried about Birk skipping the organized grab-a** sessions. That's pretty normal with veterans. As far as his contract goes, football's a business. He's been showing signs of slipping. The org.(mainly Childress) have said that they want to see how his play level is this season BEFORE stuffing his pockets. Seems like good poker to me.- I like Birk, don't get me wrong. "It's nothing personal, just business".

Geez PP. editing the 3 letter "A" word??? And the gay word starting with "H" and ending in "O"?

So it's "voluntary," but players are "expected to attend." Sounds like the organization should make up its mind and simply declare which it is: voluntary or mandatory. I confess I never did understand this Offseason Team Activity stuff, but it sounds suspiciously to me like the contention of labor and management. You know, the union wins some grudging language that the OTA's are voluntary, but the owners nevertheless want to create a climate of peer pressure to attend. Their problem. Meanwhile, we have baseball...

Can't blame Birk - who'd want to spend more time with Clueless than they had to?

Yes, yes, in advance, ORGANIZED Team Activities: OTA's.(There are DISorganized team activities? What would those be, boating and snowmobiling?)

Good, I hope birk stays away so they can groom his replacement. Just more practice time with the first team for the young guys. Birk is good but he has been way over rated the last couple years. I think its time to part ways with him after this season. He Is the second highest paid center and the vikings have treated him well over the years and this is how he thanks them.

Birk has always been critical of guys on the team being selfish and causing distractions. Now it's all about him. GROW UP! If you don't get a offer from the vikings then play this year and become a free agent. It's a business and he has made a ton of money and will make more. But he can't take it like a man. I think now we a seeing the true matt birk that everyone thought was such a great guy.

He probably isn't attending because he is going to be looking for his new home in Los Angeles, which is where the team will be moving in 3 years. They don't have a stadium to play in, no plans for one anytime soon, and so will be gone after 2011. Hopefully, this will finally be the... oh what's the use, so long Vikings!

The Vikings are making a wise decision here with Birk. His level of play has slipped dramatically and he does have a history with injuries. He's been a pro-bowler in name only, not performance. Plus, when a player gets up in age it is smarter to evaluate them on a year-to-year basis. Childress is right, Darren Sharper is in the last year of his contract and he's not putting up a fuss, as was Pat Williams last year and he attended as well. Good things are happening with this team and if Birk wants to remain selfish and not dedicate himself, don't let the door hit ya on the way out!

Awww, the off season when the press makes a story out of nothing. Birk is still working out, alledgedly in the best shape of his life, and will be ready to go come training camp. That's all that matters. I do think this is Matty B. last year in Minnesota though. Like it or not, his level of play has gone down from previous years. Like the guy, but age does wear on any athlete, and not signing him to a long term contract is the right move. Just hope his replacement (drafted this year in the 6th round)works out.

Never feel sorry for a rich man. I laugh at the reported toils and woes of the NFL and its players. Collectively, they have lost touch with the reality of the average American citizen. I enjoy when they use terms like "work stoppage". Playing in the NFL, playing being the key word, is not work. Frankly it's an insult to working people to call playing a game that children play, work.

Essentially the owners pay these mopes to not get arrested, and stay in shape. Real tough life. If I were only so lucky. I'd give up an internal organ to be able to threaten a "work stoppage" if I wasn't paid multiple millions to run around in tights and play catch.

bob g wrote:

Birk has always been critical of guys on the team being selfish and causing distractions. Now it's all about him. GROW UP! If you don't get a offer from the vikings then play this year and become a free agent. It's a business and he has made a ton of money and will make more. But he can't take it like a man. I think now we a seeing the true matt birk that everyone thought was such a great guy.

Who says he's not taking it like a man that there isn't a new contract? Oh I know who is, THE MEDIA! Did you even read the article? He's still working out with Mike Morris, feels he is in the best shape of his career and is talking with Childress on a regular basis, so how is that being selfish or being a distraction? He did this offseason workout last year and oh by the way, remained healthy all year. And remember, these are voluntary workouts, not mandatory. Now if he skips the upcoming mandatory one than there will be an issue, but until then, this is a non-issue. My bet is once the Vikes see what shape he is in come training camp, they'll put an offer together(like they did for Pat Williams last year) and all will be good.

C'mon Matteo!

I wonder if they expect to catch lightning in a bottle twice with the drafting of Sullivan in tyhe sixth round?
MikeyT

Mark wrote:

Yes, yes, in advance, ORGANIZED Team Activities: OTA's.(There are DISorganized team activities? What would those be, boating and snowmobiling?)

Ah, c'mon Mark! They just get more PR because they're The Vikings".- Seriously, notice how quiet the media has been about a certain NFL coachs'son selling drugs, and going to the slammer, and Etc. etc.? There's PLENTY of dirt out there with other teams too. Just that the cops in the Twin Cities have a thing for staking out Vikings. They always have. It's like they have mug shots and maps to their houses in their cars or something. Proof? Some jackarse endangers their kid. Turns out he was an "EX" Viking. The biggest part of the headlines ISN'T what he did, or how the kid's doing, it's "an ex-VIKING did this. And he weighs over TWO HUNDRED POUNDS. And he's A HUGE CHUNK OF RAGING FOOTBALL FURY. Notice the capital letters? That's how the media treats it. Plenty of 160 lbs arseholes, that were never Vikings abuse kids too. AND party with naked girls Etc. etc. Sometimes on boats...

MikeyT wrote:

I wonder if they expect to catch lightning in a bottle twice with the drafting of Sullivan in tyhe sixth round?
MikeyT

Hell, they just might've. They picked him up at a real bargain, actually. Sullivan can play some serious football.
The Vike Org. is right to want to see how Birk is going to be before lining his pockets with bucks.

Realistic wrote:

<quoted text>
Who says he's not taking it like a man that there isn't a new contract? Oh I know who is, THE MEDIA! Did you even read the article? He's still working out with Mike Morris, feels he is in the best shape of his career and is talking with Childress on a regular basis, so how is that being selfish or being a distraction? He did this offseason workout last year and oh by the way, remained healthy all year. And remember, these are voluntary workouts, not mandatory. Now if he skips the upcoming mandatory one than there will be an issue, but until then, this is a non-issue. My bet is once the Vikes see what shape he is in come training camp, they'll put an offer together(like they did for Pat Williams last year) and all will be good.

Well obviously he's pouting because he's the only team member not participating. In the past he ripped people for doing the same thing. So its not the MEDIA making it up. He lives in town here and he can't make it over there for 3 days of light practice? Instead he lifts weights with a nobody jackoff morris. Pat Williams acted like a man and got paid. Birk is overrated, overpaid and now we see he's also a selfish jerk.

bob g wrote:

<quoted text> Well obviously he's pouting because he's the only team member not participating. In the past he ripped people for doing the same thing. So its not the MEDIA making it up. He lives in town here and he can't make it over there for 3 days of light practice? Instead he lifts weights with a nobody jackoff morris. Pat Williams acted like a man and got paid. Birk is overrated, overpaid and now we see he's also a selfish jerk.

So let me ask you this Bob G., if you had a job that you needed to work out at in order to perform better, like that of football, and you were beginning to get up there in years and have suffered injuries before. But then came across a work out program that a close friend, and former player now does and you significantly notice differences in your health, performance and it definitely lessened the risk of injury, would you go back to the things that you did before when you got injured and such? I believe that's the main point of Birk's whole idea of missing these VOLUNTARY practices. He obviously knows his career is beginning the downward stages, he's getting better results with Morris, and plus he's been in this Vikes system so long, it's not like he'll miss anything major that he already doesn't know with these practices. This is definitely an instance that the media is overblowing. Sure Childress doesn't like that he's not there because he likes everyone to be together, but if it's that big an issue, make them MANDATORY, and you'll see him participating. I just don't see how he's being selfish, when he's getting as he says, in the best shape he's been to perform better on the field, how is that being selfish?