Report: Vikings have tried to lure Parcells

Just when their fans thought the Minnesota Vikings were on the path to a drama-free future, a startling report surfaced in the New York Post on Wednesday morning that team owner Zygi Wilf is pushing hard to bring future Hall of Fame football coach Bill Parcells to Minnesota to "run the show." What does that mean? Well, according to The Post, a source said Parcells was told by Wilf to "name his price" to both oversee the Vikings' football operations and run the team. Of course, the Vikings less than three months ago promoted Rick Spielman to general manager, breaking up a three-person committee that had made all football decisions. Since that time, Spielman and coach Leslie Frazier have emphasized building for the future instead of going for quick fixes in the wake of the team's 3-13 2011 season. Spielman's offseason free-agent moves -- all low-cost and low-key -- have fit that profile despite the fact the Vikings have plenty of room under the salary cap. Parcells, who reportedly has been considering filling in for good friend Sean Payton as coach of the New Orleans Saints while Payton serves a one-year suspension for his role in Bountygate, will turn 71 in August. He has led the New York Giants and New England Patriots to Super Bowls and led turnarounds at his next two coaching stops, with the New York Jets and Dallas Cowboys. But he hasn't coached since leaving the Cowboys after the 2006 season, and he hasn't been in a team's front office since spending 2008-10 as the Miami Dolphins' Executive Vice President of football operations. Parcells has arrived at each of his NFL stops with plenty of drama and bluster, and if this report is true, it may mean the Vikings aren't as committed to a future free of those traits as was previously believed.