Picture 1: Daunte Culpepper after he signed his rookie contract with the Vikings. Picture 2: Daunte Culpepper now. He was asked about his weight recently and had this to say:

Q: What weight are you currently playing at?
A: Right now I am down a little bit from when I first got here. I am probably about 270 right now. That is just that I have always been a big guy. I have never had a real problem with my weight. I am always going to be cognizant of it and make sure I am in good enough shape to go out and play the game that I love to play.

Q: What were you when you were with the Vikings? 260?
A: I was probably about the same. Coach Tice just always wanted my weight to try and be under 270. Sometimes I would be 273, 274 – not a big deal. That is just my size. I don’t want to be too much over that. Like I said, I am aware that I make sure I keep myself where I need to be.

Of course, in the first question of the interview, he delivered a beautiful mis-speak. So you’re never quite sure when to trust him. Seems as though the Lions can’t even win at cliches.

Q: Are you happy in Detroit?
A: I am happy to be playing. Obviously I am happy to be in the fight, but it is all about winning. I want to win some games. With that being said, I am just working. I got my head to the grindstone, just working.

The whole head? Not just the nose? Wow, that grindstone must really be feeling it. Wearing that grindstone down to the nub, we would have to say. Must be tough on the head, but whatever it takes to win, right?

*Ramon chimes in with this: the williams boys were granted an injunction (for whatever that’s worth) by a judge named gary larson. if they do play this weekend, it will be because gary larson or larsen or whomever — will not let the purple people eaters go down without a fight. you realize that this could (legitimately) go all the way the way to the state supreme court — and alan page could have a hand in this. jim marshall agrees this is a sign.

*By the way, we hate the multiple “Williamses.” It sounds funny and looks even funnier. It always reminds us of The Simpsons, when Homer declares: “I’ve got an RV we can use — Flanderses!” It just bugs us.

*What does Vegas think of the Williams Wall problems? Well, the line started with the Vikings around 9.5-point favorites early in the week and dipped when the suspensions were announced in some cases. The Hilton book, for instance, dropped to Vikings by 7.5. Last night, though, the Hilton line went back up to 8. Does Vegas think the Williamses (blech) will play? If you are inclined to bet on the Vikings (because, you know, you’re a masochist) and you are headed to a place where legal bets are made, you might fetch a fair value if the Wall plays.

*And finally, MR points us to our pal and former colleague Kevin Seifert, who gives an updated rundown of the past 7 or so years of Vikings shenanigans. The list is really staggering, and the sheer volume might mean you have forgotten a thing or two (MR had forgotten Fran Foley and one of the Denny Green moments). Seifert, whose knowledge on these matters is eclipsed only by his celebration of Weird Al’s musical catalog, also had this to say:

The more time I spent with the list, the more I realized how historically insignificant the suspensions of Pat Williams and Kevin Williams actually were in Vikings off-field lore. It seemed to be standard stuff relative to this franchise. Until, of course, a Minnesota judge took the unprecedented action Wednesday night of temporarily lifting their suspensions pending further hearings on the topic.

Indeed. It is never dull around here.

Fasola-link! A rather hilarious list of searches that yield no hits when Googled. For instance: “Driver-side bidet.”

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