Percy Harvin returned to the Minnesota Vikings‘ minicamp on Thursday, a day after he skipped the team’s Wednesday afternoon practice because he is unhappy and has requested a trade.

The Vikings have made it clear though that they will not be looking to trade Harvin at this time

“We drafted Percy Harvin here,” Spielman said. “He’s a key part of our organization. He’s a key part of our football team. Any issues that are out there or reported, we always handle those internally and continue to handle those internally.”

Percy does not want to be with the Vikings and it does not appear to have to do with the money or his current contract

“Fans I said I have issues to be worked out money not at all being the problem…I’ve dne everything asked and more…

This is very delicate situation for the new Vikings upper management. Harvin is considered to be in the upper tier of NFL WR’s and he is

Jun 19, 2012; Eden Prairie, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Percy Harvin (12) sits on a hill near the practice fields at Vikings minicamp at Winter Park. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-US PRESSWIRE

not happy with something. However, at this point we do not know what that something is who that someone may be. Although the Vikings have made it clear that they do not want trade him they may not have a choice. As we have seen time after time NFL players have the ability to force a teams hand when it comes to these type of things. Harvin has put up decent numbers in his time with the Vikings (especially considering all the QB’s he has had). Given the numbers below, if you were the Giants would you try to acquire him?

Carter stated, “I’m guilty of [placing bounties] – I mean, first time I’ve ever admitted it – but I put a bounty on guys before.” “I put bounties on guys. If a guy tries to take me out, a guy takes a cheap shot on me? I put a bounty on him right now!”

The NFL recently placed heavy penalties on numerous New Orleans management, coaches, and players when NFL Roger Goodell Commissioner found the team guilty of using a bounty program to injure opposing players.

Wednesday morning Carter appeared on ESPN SportsCenter to clarify his statement. He emphasized there was no intent to injure opponents and protection was the only intent. He stated, “The difference is people going out of their way to hurt a player. Hitting a spot that we as players know is off limits, like his knees. You’re not telling them to go out and get someone, you’re telling them to protect you, run down the field to protect their skill guys.”

Carter added, “Bill Romanowski – he told me he was going to take me out before the game, warm-ups. No problem. [He said,] ‘I’m gonna end your career, Carter.’ No problem. “I put a little change on his head before the game. Protect myself. Protect my family. That’s the league that I grew up in.”

Bill Romanowski is a Pro Bowl linebacker who was with the Denver Broncos at the time.

When asked if Carter was the only player to create bounties, he replied, “Hell, no. Listen, on the football field, you only got certain protection, and your teammates are part of that protection. It’s built in, and if I’m playing a certain position where I can’t protect myself – how can the quarterback protect himself? But for his teammates to stand up and do something, there are certain positions you can’t protect yourself.”

“But you have to realize the league we grew up in, the bounty was based on protection, or a big hit, excitement, or for helping your team win. It wasn’t to maim or hurt the dude,” said Carter, who retired from the NFL following the 2002 season.”

The big question here is this: The subject of bounties in the NFL is very toxic right now, so why would a player want to associate himself with the practice of offering bounties? It seems the best course of action would be to keep your trap shut. Carter is on television every Sunday and on various ESPN broadcasts several times a week throughout the NFL pre-season, regular season, and playoffs. Is he really wanting for attention in the off season so badly that he’ll talk about anything to get in the news? This was a really poor decision by Cris Carter, especially when there are Hall of Fame votes at risk.

Cris Carter has been a Pro Football Hall of Fame finalist for the past five years. It will be interesting to see if these statements affect the Hall of Fame voting. For many years has been a great ambassador of the sport of American Football by displaying outstanding character and expert analysis. It would be a shame to see his reputation tarnished.

How do you believe this will affect Carter’s ability to enter the Hall of Fame? Should have kept quiet about offering bounties?

Here is a quick look at the games that mean the most to the GIANTS this weekend (these games will be updated at halftime and conclusion):

Atlanta Falcons (8-5) at Carolina Panthers (4-9); The Atlanta Falcons won. The Atlanta Falcons currently are projected as the 6th and final seed in the NFC Play-Offs. They are a tie breaker behind the Bears and a tie breaker ahead of the Lions. They are one game ahead of the GIANTS.We want the Panthers to win this game.

Minnesota Vikings (2-11) at Detroit Lions (8-5); The Lions Won (huge missed face mask call at the end of the game). The Lions are currently a tie breaker behind the Bears and Lions. They are one game ahead of the GIANTS. We want the Vikings to win this game.

Chicago Bears (7-6) at Denver Broncos (8-5); Tim Tebow did it again. He did it again. Broncos won 13-10. The Chicago Bears currently are projected as the 5th seed in the NFC Play-offs. They are a tie breaker ahead of the Falcons and Lions and one game ahead of the GIANTS. We want the Broncos to win this game.

San Francisco 49ers (10-3) at Arizona Cardinals (6-7); The Cardinals won 27-19. The Cardinals are currently two games out of the final Play-Off spot and one game behind the GIANTS. We want the 49ers to win this game.  A loss by the Cardinals all but eliminates them from the Play-Offs.

St. Louis (2-10) at Seattle Seahwaks (5-7); 8:33 Monday Night. The Seahawks are currently two games out of the final Play-Off spot and one game behind the GIANTS. We want the Rams to win this game.  A loss by the Seahawks all but eliminates them from the Play-Offs.

Bears at Raiders: Oakland won 25-20. The Bears are currently tied with the Falcons for the final playoff spot and .5 games ahead of the GIANTS.

Eagles at Patriots: Patriots won 38-20. The Eagles are 4-7 and 3 games behind the Falcons and 2.5 games behind the GIANTS.

Redskins at Seahawks: Redskins won 23-17. Seahawks are now 3 games behind the Falcons and 2.5 behind the GIANTS.

Vikings at Falcons: Falcons won 24-14. They are now 7-4. The Falcons are tied with the Lions for the final  playoff spot. The GIANTS are .5 games behind the Lions.

NFL Predictions Week 11 – The tides are definitely turning in the NFL. The results from last week are, as they say, the pudding to which the proof resides. If predicting the weekly winners of the NFL were the stock market, this thing crashed BIG time last week!

We’ll take a look at how the panel at ESPN did last week, along with myself, and we will look into the future to determine who are the teams to beat this week. Sit back, grab a cup o’ joe and check out who we think are the bee’s knees of Week 11.
(more…)

Are you ready for the second half of the 2011 NFL season? Do you think you can handle the adrenaline rush from the multitude of clutch comebacks? Or, for that matter, the overwhelming depression of staggering defeats?

If you answered, “Yes!” to these questions, then you are a true BLUE football fan! Let’s get it started! Week 10, or weak 10 for some teams around the league, finds us on our continuing mission to deliver you the winners of every NFL game, alongside the pigskin picking’ panel at ESPN. Who have we picked this week? Who won the battle of the predictions last week? You might be surprised at the results. read on…if you dare!
(more…)

OK fans, let’s get this out of the way right now. The Rams?! Really? The Rams beat the Saints. My head is still spinning on its neck like Linda Blair in The Exorcist. What can you say? Any given Sunday. Well, we’ve got another Sunday (and Monday) right around the corner and our picks are fresh out of the oven.

ESPN has baked up a tasty little batch of predictions for the upcoming week, as did I. Each week I go head to head with the experts and their two fortune telling robots. The race is pretty close and is still anyones game. Read on to see how they did, how I did and what teams we’re labeling as the easy wins, the fights to the finish and the upsets of the week. Check it out!
(more…)

It’s hard to believe that we are at Week 8 of the 2011 NFL season. It seems like only yesterday that we were fretting over a football season that would not be. Now, we find ourselves at the midway point with a view of the regular season’s end on the horizon. Only the strong will survive the remaining eight games and make it into the post season. Who will be the chosen few?

Well, the high priests of predictions at ESPN, and yours truly, are here to help you make sense of it all. Each week I take a shot at fortune telling, alongside the eight esteemed members of the ESPN brain trust and their two trusted robots. How did they do last week? How did I do? Who are we collectively picking this week? Read on to find the answers to the questions that bother you so.
(more…)

The New York Giants sit atop of the NFC East in Week 7. They also find themselves with a much needed Bye Week. Fret not, football fans. There is still plenty of pigskin to go around this week! There are some great games that you won’t want to miss…and some that you would probably prefer to watch paint dry instead.

We hop over the fence to see what teams the experts over at ESPN are picking this week, as well as gawk at their results from last week. Naturally, we’ll be doing the same for yours truly. Each week, I go head to head with the big boys and live to tell about it. How did I do last week? Who am I picking this week? Come on in and take a look at my breakdown and analysis for each game.
(more…)

Of the six categories of weekly leaders in the NFL for Week 5, three of them were New York Giants (Eli Manning, Jason Pierre-Paul and Victor Cruz). That was then. This is now! Welcome to Week 6 of the 2011 NFL season. We are just over one-third of the way through and, as we have discovered already, ANYTHING can happen!

This week, we take another gander into the looking glass of the ESPN braintrust. Week 5 proved some of the ESPN pundits to be kings among men. It also proved that some of them are…well…not so much. How did I do? Who am I picking this week? Continue on for my break/down-beat down and analysis of all this week’s upcoming matchups.
(more…)

While the playoff race has begun in the MLB, football season has only just begun. This week we embark on the 2nd quarter of the 2011 NFL season. We’re beginning to see who’s hot and who’s…well…pretty damn awful. Those of you who tune into GmenHQ.com religiously have extra insight into each upcoming week of football before they happen.

Not only do we tap into the prize picking panel at ESPN to see who they favor each week, but the higher ups at Fansided.com have a unique extraction method that involves electrodes, Justin Bieber music and a plumbing snake, which is what brings you, our readers, my weekly predictions right here at GmenHQ.com. So, let’s take a look at how ESPN did last week, how I did and our collective predictions for Week 5. Quickly, I can’t take much more of this!
(more…)

Week 4 – the NFL lockout is slowly becoming a distant memory and the playoff race is taking shape…well not quite. But we are one quarter of that way done with a football season that almost didn’t happen. Tie flies when you’re having fun!

Keeping with tradition, we gaze into the crystal balls of the necromancers of the NFL over at ESPN. We’ll look into their picks from last week, this week and see how I rank among them. Who am I picking this week? What’s my record thus far? Read on for my breakdown and analysis of each game.
(more…)

Welcome to week 3 in the National Football League. The shapes of each conference are being to take form. The divisions themselves match up quite well at this stage of the season. But this week will begin to separate the men from the boys. Those professional pickers over at ESPN have cast their ballots and the results are in!

As usual, I have made my predictions right long side the likes of Mike Golic, Ron Jaworski, the two robots and the rest of the ESPN panel of pundits. Last week was a wild wind up of football. There were upsets along with easy pickings. How did I fare against the ESPN machine? Who am I picking this week? You just might be surprised. Read on.
(more…)

After a long, grueling offseason, the NFL kicked off its season opener…and what an opener it was. We witnessed the impossible, the improbable and the impartible. Yes, football season is upon us folks. That means that the guys over at ESPN are knee deep in their predictions once again. That also means that, so am I.

How did I match up against the pigskin parliamentarians last week? Was my Magic 8 Ball working as good or better than the big guys’? I bet you’ll be surprised at the results. Click the link below to find out the W/L ratios, my predictions for this coming week and the analysis of each game.
(more…)

Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, children of all ages…Welcome to the official start of the 2011-2012 NFL football season! It was looking rather bleak there for awhile, with that dark, looming lockout milling about. But we’ve hit the ground running, punched through the line, and are working our way towards the big dance – Super Bowl XLVI. So, let’s get things started!

Last season I chimed in with the experts (and robots) over at ESPN to bring you, our readers, a personalized perspective on football forecasting. This season, we jump in right where we left off. The panelists at ESPN have their picks in for this week and the general consensus looks favorable on the Big Blue Wrecking Crew. My picks are burning a virtual hole on the next page and the ratio clock starts now! Did I wax my crystal ball up more so than the other guys during the offseason? Turn the page and keep score!
(more…)

Beckum rarely lined up near the line, instead taking the majority of his snaps in the slot, which must indicate that the Giants are not comfortable with his blocking. This would be fine, if Beckum proved to be a good receiver, but he has not made an impact there either.

Don’t get me wrong, I think the Giants can win with the roster they currently have. They have always primarily used their tight ends as blockers, and at this point I think Jake Ballard looks like a better blocker than Boss did in 2008. Ballard’s problem is he is an average receiver at best.

While these two could tag team to give the Giants both a receiving and blocking option at tight end, it hurts the Giants chances of deceiving the defense, as it will be easier to predict run or pass based on the players on the field.

With plenty of tight end options currently on the market, why not look into bringing in another option? Currently Donald Lee, Allen Reisner, Jeff Dugan and Desmond Clark are on the open market. Each of these players is both a capable blocker and receiver.

Donald Lee was the Packers primary tight end before they drafted Jermichael Finley, and a back-up with the Eagles last season. Allen Reisner is a rookie who was very impressive with the Vikings. Despite having Kyle Rudolph, Visanthe Shaincoe and Jimmy Kleinsasser the Vikes tried to keep him, but when Xavier Adibi hit waivers, the Vikings moved on. With injuries at linebacker they have very little depth, and could not pass up a talent like Adibi that fits so perfectly into their Cover 2 system. With the aforementioned depth at the position, it was a necessary decision to release the impressive rookie. Dugan has been a great blocker for the Vikings, but, like Reisner, was cut due to the depth at the position. Desmond Clark was a great tight end for the Bears, but has seen his production reduced due to the drafting of Greg Olsen, and the switch to Mike Martz’s offense, which rarely utilizes the tight end as a receiver.

All four of those guys are better than anyone the Giants have on their roster. It seems silly to me to not bring one of them in. It would go a long way to shoring up one of the Giants biggest holes.

Source: AP Photo/Evan Pinkus

Giants fans will long remember the days of “Earth, Wind and Fire” aka Brandon Jacobs, Ahmad Bradshaw and Derrick Ward. Those days, of course, did not last very long. Twin seasons to be exact. But the formula that was stumbled onto, or revisited as the case may be, was not lost on the powers that be.

The game of football is changing right before our very eyes. A quarterback is required to do much more than throw the perfect pass nowadays. He must also be a tall, solid athlete who can take a hit. He must be able to change the play at will, scramble and channel his inner running back when need be. He must be able to see what happens down field before it happens and throw the ball into traffic with pinpoint accuracy. This is the new paradigm for quarterbacks in the NFL. Are things business as usual where the running game is concerned?
(more…)

Source: Sean Kerr

There is a lot of buzz around the internet praising the New York Giants for having a great draft. The surprise, for many, is how a player that was so highly ranked and regarded like Prince Amukamara ended up wearing a Big Blue uniform given the fact that the Giants had a second half pick in the first round.

The fact of the matter is that it was virtually impossible for the G-Men to have a bad prospect in the first round, regardless if Prince was available come the 19th selection or not. Of course, that is not to say that the Giants could not have SELECTED poorly. Clearly they did not. What the Giants did was pick the highest ranked player that was available at the 19th selection when their turn came around. He just happened to play a position that the Giants needed reinforcement in. He also happened to be the second smallest athlete, (6′ 0″ 206 lbs) that was selected in the first round, Mark Ingram being the smallest (5′ 9″ 215 lbs).
(more…)