Thursday, Bloody Thursday

The Vikings have become accustomed to having late February roster purges in recent years and 2002 is no exception, as the Vikes released seven players to clear up salary cap room.

The Vikings conducted an annual roster purge Thursday, as the team released seven players, including starters Ed McDaniel and Orlando Thomas.

The other five players were DE's Michael Boireau and Stalin Colinet, WR's Troy Walters and Lonny Mitchell and LB Fearon Wright.

While most of the cuts were expected, the release of Boireau was something a surprise. A second-round pick in the 2000 draft, Boireau's rookie season ended before it started with knee injuries, and last year he contracted a rare eye disorder that was viewed as career-threatening. As far as the Vikings were concerned it was career ending -- at least with Minnesota -- despite word from Boireau's agent that he was working hard to get back into playing shape.

The release of McDaniel and Thomas weren't surprises, but will likely end the Vikings careers of two of the longest-tenured players with the team. McDaniel accepted a massive pay cut last spring to stay with the team and Thomas was openly criticized by Dennis Green for his loss of tackling ability.

FRIDAY NOTES
* The roster moves won't stop there. VU has been told Tice is going to look to have signed players Brad Badger, Mitch Berger, Dave Dixon, Corbin Lacina, Robert Tate and Chris Walsh re-work their contracts to provide better cap numbers so the organization can be players in free agency.
* In the cases of Berger and Walsh, unwillingness to accept pay cuts could result in their ouster from the Vikings. Berger is making $1 million a year and Tice is asking him to take a cut to $650,000. Walsh is going to be asked to accept near league veteran minimum. If he balks, he will be released.
* Just days after the Minnesota House of Representatives shot down a stadium proposal, the Senate passed a $440 stadium bill, creating an account to collect player salary taxes, as well as other surcharges to create a fund balance to pick up $275 million in costs and, after that is paid, to create a balance for upkeep of the facilities.
* Perhaps the most shocking and least likely revenue source is $3 million anticipated to be generated annually to charge the media for space rental to attend games. At a time when Vikings P.R. isn't the best with fans, giving the media a chance to again skewer the Vikes seems inevitable. The VU bottom line -- Lurts ain't payin'. They should pay him.