With a left tackle and a running back in place the time has come for the Minnesota Vikings to give their young quarterback a wide receiver. Do they have the ammo to take Mike Wallace from the Pittsburgh Steelers?
Jerome Simpson isn't enough to help Percy Harvin with Christian Ponder
The NFC championship heartbreak in 2009 seems so far away for Vikings fans. Gone is the Brett Favre magic, replaced by rebuilding reality. Hopes sit uneasily on the shoulders of quarterback Christian Ponder who came out of the draft with questions and hasn't had enough time to answer them. Worse yet the best offensive weapon Minnesota has in running back Adrian Peterson hasn't fully recovered from a torn ACL and MCL in his knee. That puts more pressure on Ponder and a suspect group of wide receivers to carry the load until he's back healthy. The Vikings do have a budding star in Percy Harvin but their hopes of giving him help settled on the acrobatic but erratic Jerome Simpson. It was Harvin who voiced his anger about where the team is. It's not clear what upsets him but from the way he says things must get sorted out before training camp it's easy to think he isn't satisfied with what the Minnesota Vikings coaches and front office have done. Would getting him some help in the passing game ease the fury?
Steelers risk angering Ben Roethlisberger if they don't get Wallace back
Minnesota sits in a tough spot. Not only is their roster filled with question marks but the team also signed a new lease to stay in one of the toughest divisions in the NFL. The Pittsburgh Steelers know all about that, expecting another season battling Baltimore and Cincinnati for playoff spots. That's why the team tries week after week to get Pro Bowl receiver Mike Wallace signed to either his franchise tender or a long-term deal. Neither offer suits the receiver, so his holdout continues. Team captain and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger isn't happy about it. He, more than anybody, knows what Wallace can do and believes the Steelers will need his talent and speed to stay on top. Management says the team wants to pay him but salary cap problems and a debate on Wallace's worth has created a deadlock. Unless he signs the tender or a deal gets worked out they risk losing him to free agency next season. That means they might have to lower their price in trade talks. Minnesota has both the cap and draft picks that could interest Pittsburgh. Wallace would go to team that plays indoors where speed counts for everything and give Ponder another reliable target besides Harvin.
Mike Wallace expects to stay with the Pittsburgh Steelers but if Ben Roethlisberger is right it won't happen until they pay him properly. The Minnesota Vikings settled for Jerome Simpson to help Christian Ponder, which didn't impress Percy Harvin. If the team wants to avoid rebuilding beyond 2012 they might want to think about a trade.
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