The Minnesota Vikings knew that Chester Taylor would get a lot of attention in free agency. Unfortunately, it happened to be a divisional rival that Taylor will be playing for, the Chicago Bears. Taylor or any other player cannot be blamed for taking advantage of a financial situation. It cannot be said of Taylor that he was not loyal to the Vikings by signing today with the Bears. Chester Taylor, with the help of his agent, did what he thought would be best for him and his family. Thanks Chester Taylor for four great years with the Minnesota Vikings. You are a class act on and off the field and you will be missed.

Paul Gantner

It is being reported by several media outlets that Adrian Peterson not only wants Brett Favre to come back for one year, but for two years. When asked about it Peterson had this to say, “I hope he comes back for another year or two, gives us another two years. I think we could win back-to-back Super Bowls. I’d take one. But the talent we have on both sides of the football with Favre — just the talent we have on offense, defense all phases — I feel like we can go as high as we want.” One must respect the optimistic opinion of Adrian Peterson. Peterson went on to say, “You never know with Favre what he’s going to do. That’s good that he didn’t take too many big hits throughout the year. The last game he kind of took a couple of big hits (in the NFC Championship Game loss in New Orleans) to remind him this is what it’s all about. But hopefully we can get him back and go on this run again and complete it this time.” Unlike Green Bay, there is no doubt that the Viking fans and players/coaches want Favre to return. Lets hope that Brett Favre will return with the Minnesota Vikings for at least one more season.

Paul Gantner

Brett Favre is scheduled to appear on “The Tonight Show” and it will air Thursday, March 4th, at 11:34pm EST. No one is expecting a decision on if he will return or not but it is most likely that the question will be asked. Nevertheless, it will be worth watching.

Paul Gantner

So here we go into the offseason with the most obvious question, will Brett Favre return for another season with the Purple and Gold or ride off into the sunset? But there are many other concerns and questions about other players on this Vikings team. Will EJ Henderson and Cedric Griffin fully recover from their injuries and be able to make solid contributions next year? Will the Vikings be able to retain the services of cornerback Benny Sapp? All of these questions should soon be answered but the most important question that needs to be answered is if the Vikings can resign Chester Taylor?

Chester Taylor was a free agent pickup from the Baltimore Ravens in 2006. Taylor played behind Jamaal Lewis and had the potential to be an every down back. At age 26 he came to the Vikings to prove that he was a starting running back in the National Football League. Taylor answered his critics with over 1200 yards rushing in the 2006 season. Taylor had a spectacular 95 yard touchdown run against the Seattle Seahawks and also added 42 pass receptions. Taylor proved to be a great pick up by the Vikings as well as a starting running back in the NFL. Heading into the 2007 NFL season it was clear that the Vikings were set at the starting running back position.

So we head into the 2007 NFL draft and, “With the 7th pick of the 2007 NFL draft the Minnesota Vikings select, Adrian Peterson”. After such a great year from Chester Taylor the Vikings pick a running back? Well this proves to be the right move despite the Peterson fumble problems. Chester Taylor remained the starting running back but Peterson eventually took over. Despite resuming the backup position after earning the starting postion, Taylor took the high road and fulfilled his obligations admirably. Taylor became the 3rd down back and has proven not only to be a great runner but an excellent receiver as well. Taylor had 45 receptions in the 2008 season and 44 in 2009. Taylor picked up many first downs this year and worked well with Brett Favre.

So now Chester Taylor is an unrestricted free agent. He turns 31 in September. Would there be an NFL team out there willing to pay Taylor to be their starting full time running back at age 31? Taylor is going to be 31 years of age this NFL season but is not wore down like a LaDainian Tomlinson. Tomlison is 30 years of age and has 2880 rushing attempts. Taylor also is 30 years of age and has 1028 rushing attempts. There is still plenty of tread left on the tires of Chester Taylor.

The Vikings need Chester Taylor to stay with them and need to take the steps necessary to keep him. When Rick Spielman, VP of Player Personnel, was asked about Taylor he had this to say, “Chester Taylor brings so much to this football team. He’s like the unsung hero of the offense.” He went on to say, “He may be, as we look and we evaluate all the free agents out there, one of the top free agent backs coming out, especially in that role he plays in third down, it’s so valuable for us.” The Vikings know how important it is to hang on to Chester Taylor. Now at age 31 it may be in the best interest of Taylor to stay with the Vikings. He will not be asked to carry the ball a lot and will not take the hits that Peterson will take. Taylor, especially if Favre returns, will have a good chance of getting to the Superbowl if he stays with the Vikings. However, if he gets a good offer from another team one cannot blame Taylor for leaving or at least entertaining the offers just to see whats out there. If Taylor wants a bigger role with another team he will most likely find some interest. But staying with the Vikings is also a good option for Taylor. Taylor has proven to be a class act on and off the field and has established himself as one of the very best 3rd down backs in the league. The Minnesota Vikings need Chester Taylor, but Chester Taylor needs the Vikings.

Paul Gantner

As written by CitrusVike: Welcome to some of you newcomers. I have passed by Viking Vigil and the folks here are great. Pitch in, read some articles and if all goes well we’ll have an open forum “roundtable” with me on a regular basis. I want this to be a time for you to discuss your Vikings and share your opinion.

Remember basic rule of civil behavior apply. No one person is the end all on everything, please do not act in such a manner. Language control is an absolute and never call anyone out. In all my years of blogging I learned that there are hundreds of opinions. All are worthwhile and come from loyal fans like you. I may not agree, but being open and respectful is the best policy. I often learn things from those who don’t think as I. I know some of you all may be visiting for the 1st time by invitation and hope you’ll invite others. We are not here to compete against any other site, but to just have fun and get this going. It is kind of that “small town” site to visit when the city gets too big and you feel you are not heard. Some of us are friends already so let’s make new folks feel welcome.

A simple start. First off I am CitrusVike. Let’s hear what you think. Are you still bumming over the NFC title loss? Where do the Vikings go from here? With collective bargaining casting a shadow on free agency, who should the Vikings approach? What are our biggest draft needs? Who do we release and who do we look at in the draft or free agency? I’m putting a plug in for the stadium. Something needs to be done. I liked some of the ideas for funding, 5 county tax, and a lottery ticket where profits go to the stadium fund.

Anything you want in this first forum. Sound off, get to know each other and I hope some of the editors stop by for a greeting. If we get enough interest and grow a bit, I am hoping we can meet here on draft days and chat about developments. Start it off folks! This is your column. Don’t forget to read some of the items our editors and writers share. They would love to hear what you think.

Let’s go guys whose going to get us on a roll?

CitrusVike