Read More: minnesota vikings stadium, vikings stadium update, Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings stadium updates are almost to the point of being as annoying as the Brett Favre retirement rumors were not long ago, but it’s still a situation to keep an eye on. Therefore, it seems prudent that the latest news coming out of the state’s government is that taxes will not be be raised to fund a new stadium.

Actually, that just won’t happen in the near future as the soonest it could be put to a vote, according to Governor Mark Dayton, is at the November 2012 general election.

“Last Friday’s meeting was very significant in eliminating one proposed source of financing for a People’s Stadium in either Ramsey County or Minneapolis, unless the Vikings are willing to endure the time delay and continuing uncertainty in obtaining voters’ approval. Given this reality, we are now actively assessing and discussing with the team other financing options.”

This certainly isn’t the end of the road for stadium supporters, but things have at least got a bit more tricky for those hoping the Vikings build a new stadium to stay in Minnesota.

Feel free to leave your comments below.

Chargers’ next opponent

Minnesota Vikings (6-10 in 2010)

1:15 p.m. Sunday at Qualcomm Stadium

Less than 20 months ago, there was purple in the NFC Championship Game, the Minnesota Vikings falling four points short of the Super Bowl. And then, ahem, the roof caved in.

OK, so it’s a bad line. But the Vikings became such a bad story in such short order, the only good news is that they weren’t on the field when the Mall of America Field dome collapsed and the snow came crashing down last December. So many of the personnel problems are gone — Brett Favre, Randy Moss, Brad Childress — but the damage has been done and it’s going to take a long while for the Vikes to shovel out from the mess.

Of all quarterbacks, the Vikings traded for Donovan McNabb, coming off his own nightmare season in Washington. Speaking of bad lines, too, he’s working behind one of the NFL’s worst blocking units. Which makes it all the more amazing how Adrian Peterson has remained one of the NFL’s pre-eminent running backs, ranking sixth in rushing last year.

Having taken over for the deposed Childress after 10 games last year, new head coach Leslie Frazier got three wins out of Minnesota over the last six games, including an upset of the Philadelphia Eagles. Since then, the Vikes lost one of their best offensive threats (Sidney Rice) and defensive stalwarts (Ray Edwards) to free agency, not to mention team leader Pat Williams.

At the same time, Minnesota has a new offensive coordinator for the first time in five years, and Bill Musgrave’s had to implement his system without benefit of minicamps and OTA’s and all the other things missed due to lockout.

Three players to watch

Donovan McNabb, QB: The Vikings would like McNabb to be kind of like Favre, but without actually being Favre. Meaning, they’re hoping he can be rejuvenated like the Favre who donned the horns in 2009 and played like a kid again, because McNabb’s pretty much getting written off now as old news around the NFL. His arm may still be sore from his last visit to Qualcomm, a 31-23 win by the Chargers over the Eagles in which McNabb threw 55 passes, completing 35 for 450 yards while Michael Vick mostly watched from the sideline.

Adrian Peterson, RB: Musgrave is a highly respected coach, smart enough to not overlook the obvious, which is that any team with Peterson should not be thinking pass-first. As well as he played last year, Peterson indeed should play an even more prominent role this year, and his arrival should be the perfect opening test for a Chargers team that’s going to get run on plenty in AFC West play.

Jared Allen, DE: At some point, Allen may look around the defensive huddle Sunday and wonder where everyone went. Allen was almost his usual dervish self last year with 11 sacks, but he’ll have neither half of the so-called “Williams Wall” in the trenches with him, since Pat Williams is gone and Kevin Williams is sitting out the opener due to a two-game suspension. A Chargers nemesis dating back to his days with the Kansas City Chiefs, Allen has four career sacks in eight games against the Chargers.

Familiar faces

Cam Turner, assistant to the head coach, is the nephew of Chargers head coach Norv Turner. Special teams coordinator Mike Priefer’s father, Chuck, coached special teams for the Chargers from 1992-96. And receiver Greg Camarillo spent 2005 on the Chargers’ practice squad and was with the Bolts in 2006, although he never played in a game.

Injury report

None of the players on the Vikings’ 53-man roster was withheld from Minnesota’s opening practice for the Chargers game. The player of the most concern is tight end Visanthe Shiancoe, sidelined much of the preseason with a hamstring issue.

Series history

With each team winning every other game between them, the Chargers and Vikes have split their 10 contests, and it would appear to be San Diego’s turn. Minnesota won the last one, 35-17, a memorable affair of historic significance for both teams. Then a rookie, Peterson ran amok on the Chargers for 296 of the 378 rushing yards amassed by the Vikings, who were in turn embarrassed when Antonio Cromartie caught a missed field goal beneath the goalpost and returned it for a 109-yard TD. This is only the second time since 1982 that the Vikings have played in San Diego.

Did you know?

Minnesota placekicker Ryan Longwell, entering his 15th season, has missed a total of just three of his 46 field-goal attempts over the past two seasons.

Quote:

“We kind of like that we’re under the radar now.” – wide receiver Percy Harvin on the Vikings, who are being widely dismissed as last-place pick, but no longer living the Brett Favre circus.

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Read More: Brett Favre (QB – MIN), Sidney Rice (WR – MIN), Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks

Free agent wide receiver Sidney Rice is fielding offers from the Seattle Seahawks and Minnesota Vikings, according o NFL.com’s Jason La Canfora:

Decisions, decisions for Rice, a 24-year-old veteran who’s spent his whole career with the Vikings. His breakout year coincided with what turned out to be the last magic left in Brett Favre’s arm, when he tallied 83 catches, 1,312 yards and eight touchdowns in 2009.

A hip injury kept him out of the first 10 games last year, but he’s young, tall, (6-foot-4) and has great hands. Wherever he goes, he’ll likely become their top wideout. Unfortunately for him, neither the Vikings nor the Seahawks have, how do I put this lightly, NFL-caliber quarterbacks.

That’s all the news for today.

Read More: Brett Favre (QB – MIN), Ray Edwards (DE – MIN), Ryan Longwell (K – MIN), Pat Williams (DT – MIN), Minnesota Vikings, St. Louis Rams

What an exciting day it’s been for the National Football League and its legion of loyal fans across the country. The lockout is officially over, training camps are set to start as early as Wednesday for some clubs, and on Tuesday morning, free agency will officially get underway. Before the madness begins, let’s take one last look at the Vikings’ free agent situation, specifically which guys who played on the squad in 2010 are currently not under contract and awaiting news about whether they’ll be back in Minny or heading elsewhere to play in 2011.

Restricted Free Agents (three or more accrued NFL seasons)

Unrestricted free agents (four or more accrued NFL seasons)

Obviously there’s some big names on the URFA list — Ray Edwards, Pat Williams, Ben Lieber, Ryan Longwell, Sidney Rice (and if you’re one to believe the most recent rumors, Brett Favre). You can count on the Vikings parting ways with one or more of these mainstays in the coming days, and as it almost always is, it will be tough for fans to say goodbye to players they’ve followed and rooted for over the years. But that’s life in the NFL where the rules are intentionally structured to keep player movement high and the competitive balance fair.

Buckle up, just getting started folks!

There is the quick update of the day.