Robert Ferguson--an Interlude

I'll have my final thoughts on Friday's game up later today, but first, I wanted to discuss the news that the Vikings may be close to adding a veteran wide receiver. Robert Ferguson, formerly of the Green Bay Packers, appears to favor the Purple. And to add even further fuel to the fire, he missed his original flight to Houston, although he did eventually make the trip.

So it seems the Vikings are about to add a new receiver to their much maligned group. But is that a good thing? Gonzo, over at the Daily Norseman doesn't think so. Personally, I'm not so sure.

Ferguson has a few things going against him, starting with the fact that he's had injury problems the last three years, missing four games in 2004 due to a hit that temporarily paralyzed him, five games in 2005 because of a knee injury and 12 games last year due to foot problems. And when he has been healthy, he hasn't exactly light the world on fire--his best year came in 2003, when he caught 38 passes for 520 yards and 4 TDs.

Here's the thing though--when he is healthy, he has the ability to be a deep threat. He has six catches that went for more than 30 yards for his career, which doesn't sound all that impressive, until you realize that the current career leader on the Vikings roster is Troy Williamson with four.

So would the addition of Robert Ferguson be a huge one? No. However, if he can stay healthy, he'll definitely be an improvement over roster filler like Cortez Hankton. It's better to take a risk on a player with talent than to play it safe with a player that doesn't have any.