OK, I'm going to the NCAA tournament 1st/2nd round games in St. Louis in March. By bus.  Had the basketball tickets and hotel booked weeks ago.  Time to get the bus tickets.  Have to get them online because although the bus stops in Worthington, there is no ticket seller here.  So it's Greyhound.com at 1AM.

Booking the trip down to St. Louis: 17 hours, transfers in Albert Lea and Kansas City, click, click, boom, we're good.
Booking the return... oh boy.  First the Greyhound site refused to give me the same return route as the departure.  Kept routing me a 27 hour trip through Indianapolis   

So I broke the return trip into parts.  St. Louis up to Albert Lea, transfer in KC, click, click, fine.

Albert Lea to Worthington.  Click, click... card declined.  WTF?? Try again, again, same thing.   So now my return is virtually stuck in Albert Lea until morning when I can call the bank and ask what's up.  Seems that by booking 2 trips and trying to book a 3rd in one session, I triggered my accounts' fraud alert flag    So I confirmed it was me and got the flag removed.  Back to Greyhound.com.  Albert Lea>Worthington, click, click, finally!  Hooray!  Except that by having to book the return in 2 segments instead of 1, I ended up paying an extra $40 

God I miss just walking up to a counter and buying a hard ticket.

I am certain this won't be popular with the natives, but I think talking about bringing in another QB is a complete waste and a very Vikings thing to do.

Definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting the same results.

We are not winning a Super Bowl with Kirk Cousins, Kyler Murray, Derek Carr, Malik Willis and whatever other reject we can bring in here to "backup/compete" with McCarthy.  So all we are really doing is prolonging the pain.  A somewhat competent backup will get us right back to the 15-20 draft range, but not the Super Bowl.  So why are we even entertaining this scenario?  Is it because the Wilf's are requiring it?  It feels like the over reaction of I don't know, people worried about their jobs?

To me the correct scenario is this.  If you trade anything, acquire assets and picks for 2027.  Do NOT add a QB.  Run JJ back out there, if he fails, gets hurt, sucks whatever, run Brosmer out there.  Hit bottom and have assets and the draft capital to draft a QB in 2027 (much better class).  On top of that you can also have the capital to reset the roster if necessary.  If you are going to trade Grennard and Hockensen and anyone else, I would primarily focus on 2027 draft picks.  Maybe even somehow finagle a 2nd 1st rounder if possible.

The upside to this that if JJ competes, is competent or better and can stay healthy, bam, use that draft capital on a great draft coming up.  And if he doesn't, well you have the ability to reset without some crappy half-assed QB on the roster behind JJ and a 18th overall pick.

Just my 10 cents.

Confirmed today:
==========================


Confirming previous reports, the Atlanta Falcons announced on Tuesday they will release Kirk Cousins.

Falcons general manager Ian Cunningham told reporters that after discussions with Cousins and Cousins' agent, the club will release the veteran quarterback on the first day of the new league year on March 11.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Feb. 7 that Cousins was expected to be released before the start of the new league year.

Making the move after the start of the league year, which Cunningham said the Falcons will do, allows the team to designate Cousins as a post-June 1 release if they choose to do so.

A post-June 1 designation would allow the Falcons to spread out his $35 million dead cap hit over the next two seasons, with $22.5 million going on their books in 2026. They will only save $2.1 million against the cap this year in that scenario, but they would lose $10.4 million in cap space if he were to be released prior to June 1.

Cousins and the Falcons restructured his contract in January to guarantee him $67.9 million in 2027 if he were to remain on the roster on March 13. The move did not impact any of the guaranteed money he was already owed.

When Cousins' release becomes official, he will join a very interesting crop of free-agent quarterbacks this offseason. Aaron Rodgers, Malik Willis, Daniel Jones and Russell Wilson are among the other notable names who will be available.

The group could also expand to include Kyler Murray and/or Tua Tagovailoa depending on whether or not their current teams decide to move in a different direction and can't find a trade partner.

Cousins, who will turn 38 on Aug. 19, started eight games for the Falcons in 2025. He threw for 1,721 yards, 10 touchdowns and five interceptions in 10 total appearances last season.

Bleacher Report

Passed away.   Death under investigation.
RIP

Probably little chance we can draft him since he'll likely go somewhere between our picks at 18 and 49, but Omar Cooper Jr is my first real draft crush of 2026. His body control and RAC is remarkable. I don't care what he measures; I don't care what he times; OCJ is going be a weapon in the NFL. 

After leading Indiana to the national title, coach Curt Cignetti has finalized a contract with the school that will pay him an average of $13.2 million through the 2033 season, a source confirmed to ESPN.

The length of Cignetti's deal does not change, but his salary will increase from $11.6 million annually.

Indiana announced a new deal for Cignetti in October, but it included a "good market faith review" that activated if the Hoosiers reached the College Football Playoff semifinal, which they after a Jan. 1 win over Alabama in the Rose Bowl. The review required the sides to meet within 120 days after the CFP semifinal and adjust Cignetti's salary to rank no less than third among active head coaches, according to the term sheet.

The $13.2 million annual salary places Cignetti alongside Georgia's Kirby Smart and new LSU coach Lane Kiffin as the only coaches earning at least $13 million nationally. Cignetti's contract has been revised three times in two seasons, as he arrived in late 2023 with a six-year, $27 million deal.

Cignetti is 27-2 at Indiana, which won its first national title in 2025 and its first outright Big Ten title since 1945.

After Indiana announced his new contract in October, Cignetti, 64, said he planned on retiring at the school.

"I couldn't be more proud to be a Hoosier," Cignetti said. "The way that this state has embraced us and our success in football has meant more to me than anything else."

The agreement announced in October raised Cignetti's buyout to $15 million if he left for another job and would pay him his full remaining salary if fired without cause. Indiana also has awarded new multiyear contracts to coordinators Mike Shanahan (offense) and Bryant Haines (defense), who last week won the Broyles Award as the nation's top assistant.

"We're all-in, and going to continue to invest and make certain that we've got our priorities in line," athletic director Scott Dolson told ESPN in October. "[Cignetti is] Priority 1, and then it's retaining our staff, and it's having the resources to build a roster."

The Indianapolis Star first reported terms of Cignetti's latest contract.

Paul Allen and Pete Bercich will broadcast 9 to Noon from Indianapolis on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Listen live on KFAN 100.3-FM or visit kfan.com (or listen in the iHeart app).
The programming will include interviews with Vikings Head Coach Kevin O'Connell and Executive Vice President of Football Operations Rob Brzezinski, who was selected to guide the team's offseason efforts after Minnesota parted ways with former General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.
O'Connell and Brzezinski are planning to participate in separate on-the-record sessions with Twin Cities media members who travel to Indianapolis.

https://www.espn.com/video/clip/_/id/47986101

Less than a week away now, get ready...