Vikings notebook
Coach of the Year call a piece of cake for McCombs
Posted: Monday January 04, 1999 11:22 PM
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Green may not be the Associated Press Coach of the Year, but Vikings owner Red McCombs feels he is AP |
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (AP) -- Who's the best coach in the NFL this
season? To Red McCombs, the decision is a piece of cake.
McCombs sent a cake Monday congratulating Dennis Green as the coach of
the year, apparently an attempt to atone for Green's runner-up finish to
Atlanta's Dan Reeves in The Associated Press voting.
"I think Red is really the number one vote that counts, to be honest
with you," Green said. "That's my boss."
But Green quickly went on to add that individual awards mean little to
him or the rest of the Minnesota Vikings.
"Our objective is not honors, whether it be MVP or any other honor,"
he said. "Our objective is to put one step in front of the other, take it
one day at a time and to get ourselves clearly focused on Arizona."
Injury update:
There's getting to be very little to update in the injury department for
the Vikings, but here goes.
Only tight end Greg
DeLong (ankle) and offensive lineman Everett Lindsay (knee)
remain questionable for Sunday's playoff game against Arizona. Both could
be ready to return to practice full-time by Wednesday.
Right tackle Korey
Stringer (groin), who missed the last two games, went full-speed in
practice Monday. So did backup receivers Chris Walsh (knee) and Robert Tate (hamstring).
Linebacker Dixon
Edwards (back), who missed most of the Jacksonville game and all of the
Tennessee game, also has been back at practice since late last week.
"We feel like we've made a lot of progress in the past week," coach
Dennis Green said.
That's the benefit of a first-round playoff bye, something the Vikings
haven't enjoyed since 1989.
"This bye week is very big," said cornerback Corey Fuller, who spent
time over the weekend at team headquarters getting treatment for minor
ailments. "I can see it in the playoffs. The last couple of years we've
been playing that first round. I can see what that rest will do for you."
Receptive rookie:
With Jake Reed
expected to return to the lineup Sunday after missing five games with a
back injury, the Vikings must decide whether Reed or Randy Moss will serve as
the No. 3 receiver.
Reed would seem most likely to fill that role, but before his injury
he was the starter in two-receiver sets with Moss filling the third spot.
For his part, Moss said he doesn't care how the Vikings use him.
"If Jake starts, I'm excited. I'm just happy that he's back," Moss
said. "Now [the Cardinals] have another weapon they have to deal with."
GOOD COMPANY:
Arizona quarterback Jake
Plummer might not have the resume to be compared to some of the game's
best quarterbacks, but he's certainly displayed that kind of ability.
Vikings cornerback Corey Fuller pulled out a couple of big names when
asked who he would compare Plummer to, with one questioner noting Plummer
didn't look impressive physically at 6-foot-2 and 197 pounds.
"Neither did Joe Montana," Fuller said. "The man knows how to take his
game to another level, and he can make plays that no other quarterback can
make because of his feet alone."
Fuller went on to compare Plummer to San Francisco's Steve Young.
"But I think Plummer's a whole lot faster," Fuller said. "At this
stage of his career he can take more punishment, I believe, than Steve
Young. Plummer just can move, man. It's unbelievable."
'WAR' OF WORDS:
Arizona cornerback Aeneas
Williams was joking when he said it, but he got the Vikings' attention
with a comment he made after the Cardinals upset Dallas on Saturday.
"We declared war on the state of Texas," Williams said. "Now we're
declaring war on the state of Minnesota."
Maybe not the wisest comment for a 14 1/2-point underdog to make
before playing the highest-scoring team in NFL history.
"We really don't have a lot to say about that," Randall Cunningham said.
"We're the humble guys in the NFL."
Offensive tackle Todd
Steussie said the Vikings don't need any extra motivation for Sunday's
game.
"If you're not up for a game like this, there's a problem," Steussie
said.
Copyright 2003 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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