Angel
03-12-2006, 08:43 AM
Daunte to Raiders? Not even close
March 11, 2006
By Clark Judge
CBS SportsLine.com Senior Writer
Now that free agency is up and running, here's my question: Whatever happened to Daunte Culpepper?
On Friday, published reports had him all but packed for the Oakland Raiders, with several media outlets weighing in on the possibility of a Randy-Daunte reunion. Then, when the Raiders cut starting quarterback Kerry Collins later in the day, a trade for Culpepper looked like a sure thing.
Only one problem: It didn't happen. No, check that -- it wasn't close to happening.
Ask the Vikings. Ask the Raiders. They'll tell you. Well, at least one side will.
"There was no real offer," said a source close to the situation, "because the Raiders weren't interested. They looked into it, but they weren't interested."
And the reason?
"The same reason Baltimore backed off," said the source. "(Culpepper) has bad knees that won't allow him to practice until August."
Culpepper tore three ligaments in his right knee on Oct. 30, ending his season and, in all likelihood, his career with Minnesota.
That seems clear now, with the Vikings off the Culpepper bandwagon. Some people will tell you a decision to move him was sealed when Culpepper earlier this week sent an e-mail to the media, demanding a trade or a release. But several coaches at last month's NFL scouting combine insisted then that the Vikings wouldn't play with Culpepper this year.
And it wasn't because of his knees.
They claimed new coach Brad Childress wasn't enamored with the guy and had resolved to move him out -- figuring, if he had to, he could win for one season with veteran Brad Johnson. One coach mentioned it even after Vikings owner Zygi Wilf said he would pay Culpepper's $6 million roster bonus in mid-March, a statement interpreted as a vote of confidence for the embattled quarterback.
But one NFL source vowed that it would never get that far; that Childress had his mind set on playing without Culpepper. So when Culpepper announced that he wanted out this week, it seemed he forced this whole issue -- when, it turns out, he almost certainly wasn't in the Vikings' plans anyway.
So where did the Raiders come in? Well, they were contacted by Minnesota. And they did say they'd look into a potential trade and get back to the Vikings. Which they did. And when they did they said they weren't interested.
Period.
So what did the Vikings want?
"That's the thing," said the source, "the talks never got that far."
OK, so Oakland dropped the ball. Here's my question: If Minnesota was to release Culpepper, would the Raiders get involved then? Let's put it another way: So the Raiders aren't interested now. Does that mean the club is out of the Culpepper's picture for good?
Not necessarily. But one source close to talks between the two clubs said the chances are unlikely that the Raiders would try to acquire him. Which leaves them with ... what? Marques Tuiasosopo and Andrew Walter?
Some people within the organization like Walter and believe he deserves a shot, but stay tuned. No decision has been made here, and it's not like Al Davis to go with an inexperienced quarterback.
Stay tuned on the Culpepper front, too. He should have his bags packed. He just shouldn't count on that reunion with Randy.
http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/story/9301001
March 11, 2006
By Clark Judge
CBS SportsLine.com Senior Writer
Now that free agency is up and running, here's my question: Whatever happened to Daunte Culpepper?
On Friday, published reports had him all but packed for the Oakland Raiders, with several media outlets weighing in on the possibility of a Randy-Daunte reunion. Then, when the Raiders cut starting quarterback Kerry Collins later in the day, a trade for Culpepper looked like a sure thing.
Only one problem: It didn't happen. No, check that -- it wasn't close to happening.
Ask the Vikings. Ask the Raiders. They'll tell you. Well, at least one side will.
"There was no real offer," said a source close to the situation, "because the Raiders weren't interested. They looked into it, but they weren't interested."
And the reason?
"The same reason Baltimore backed off," said the source. "(Culpepper) has bad knees that won't allow him to practice until August."
Culpepper tore three ligaments in his right knee on Oct. 30, ending his season and, in all likelihood, his career with Minnesota.
That seems clear now, with the Vikings off the Culpepper bandwagon. Some people will tell you a decision to move him was sealed when Culpepper earlier this week sent an e-mail to the media, demanding a trade or a release. But several coaches at last month's NFL scouting combine insisted then that the Vikings wouldn't play with Culpepper this year.
And it wasn't because of his knees.
They claimed new coach Brad Childress wasn't enamored with the guy and had resolved to move him out -- figuring, if he had to, he could win for one season with veteran Brad Johnson. One coach mentioned it even after Vikings owner Zygi Wilf said he would pay Culpepper's $6 million roster bonus in mid-March, a statement interpreted as a vote of confidence for the embattled quarterback.
But one NFL source vowed that it would never get that far; that Childress had his mind set on playing without Culpepper. So when Culpepper announced that he wanted out this week, it seemed he forced this whole issue -- when, it turns out, he almost certainly wasn't in the Vikings' plans anyway.
So where did the Raiders come in? Well, they were contacted by Minnesota. And they did say they'd look into a potential trade and get back to the Vikings. Which they did. And when they did they said they weren't interested.
Period.
So what did the Vikings want?
"That's the thing," said the source, "the talks never got that far."
OK, so Oakland dropped the ball. Here's my question: If Minnesota was to release Culpepper, would the Raiders get involved then? Let's put it another way: So the Raiders aren't interested now. Does that mean the club is out of the Culpepper's picture for good?
Not necessarily. But one source close to talks between the two clubs said the chances are unlikely that the Raiders would try to acquire him. Which leaves them with ... what? Marques Tuiasosopo and Andrew Walter?
Some people within the organization like Walter and believe he deserves a shot, but stay tuned. No decision has been made here, and it's not like Al Davis to go with an inexperienced quarterback.
Stay tuned on the Culpepper front, too. He should have his bags packed. He just shouldn't count on that reunion with Randy.
http://www.sportsline.com/nfl/story/9301001