Milloy Price Too High

It wasn't that the Vikings didn't have enough cap space to sign All-Pro safety Lawyer Milloy -- who signed Wednesday with Buffalo. It was how much they were being asked to spend that became the problem.

Jaws around the NFL (including in the Patriots locker room) fell open when the team announced it had released four-time Pro Bowl safety Lawyer Milloy. As expected, the Vikings inquired about bringing him in. That talk cooled off quickly.

We found out why Wednesday, when the Bills -- who play the Patriots Sunday -- signed Milloy to a four-year, $15 million deal with a $5 million signing bonus.

VU has been told that the Vikings were willing to offer Milloy something in the neighborhood of $2 million a year for a short-term deal, which was quickly dismissed. The Bills thought they had a deal done Tuesday, but Milloy's agent gave the Vikings, Jets, Saints and Redskins a chance to sweeten their offers. In the end, the Bills upped their own offer and signed Milloy.

While he would have looked good in purple and gold, $15 million (with $5 mil of that up front) was a little spendy for the Vikings and not in keeping with their payment policy for outsiders.

THURSDAY NOTES
* The Vikings released their injury report Wednesday with no surprises. Jack Brewer (chest) is listed as out, with Doug Chapman (ankle) listed as questionable and Ken Irvin (toe) listed as probable.
* The Packers injury report could be much more troubling for fans of the green and gold. Starting G Marco Rivera (knee) and safety Darren Sharper (groin) are both listed as questionable. Others on the Packers injury report include DB Chris Johnson (knee) as doubtful, and three players -- DT Gilbert Brown (arm), FB Najeh Davenport (leg) and LN Na'il Diggs (shoulder) -- listed as probable.
* As expected, Brett Favre refused to get into any war of words concerning the controversy that has been fueled by the media with Chris Hovan. In a mid-week press conference with Vikings reporters, Favre said he never starts these types of feuds, adding it would be stupid for a QB to say something to get a defensive player mad and looking to take shots at him. Both Favre and Hovan have said they will let their actions -- not words -- do their talking about this rivalry.
* Why is the Vikings-Packers rivalry so great? Since Minnesota came into the NFL, the teams have played 83 times. The overall record? Both teams have won 41 games with one tie.