Entire story:   http://www.startribune.com/stories/510/913654.html


Vikings' Wynn Might Get a Chance To Show His Stuff

Kent Youngblood
Star Tribune

Published Dec 21 2001

Spergon Wynn was making the rounds. From meetings to a one-on-one interview
with FOX TV to a photo shoot.

All the accouterments of a starting quarterback. But Wynn, to his credit,
remained unimpressed throughout. People around Winter Park have been talking
this week about Wynn being more mature than his 23 years. So it was no
surprise Wynn wasn't about to put that cart in front of the horse.

"I still haven't played yet," he said, walking from the photo shoot back to
the meeting room; he still had tape to watch. "Once you see results on the
field, that's when you start to feel comfortable."

Because of this week's rule of thumb, Wynn might go from prospect to
participant, continuing his ascent up the Vikings' depth chart. On Thursday,
Daunte Culpepper underwent surgery to repair his injured left knee. On the
practice field, Todd Bouman took some very limited reps in practice. The
good news is the swelling in his sprained thumb has stayed down.

"It's not too bad," Bouman said. "It's getting better each day. I took a few
reps here and there, just to get a feel for what we're doing this week. ...
I'll probably take most of everything [today]."

Wynn, meanwhile, took the bulk of the snaps, as he did Wednesday. And while
the decision on Bouman won't be made at least until after the Vikings see
what he can do in practice today, Wynn appears to be edging closer and
closer to his first action in a Vikings uniform.

It's something a lot of people are interested to see. At first glance Wynn
looks like the prototype of a quarterback. He's 6-3, 226 pounds. A good
athlete with above-average mobility. He's got a strong arm and a quick
release; his spirals are tight and his long ball impressive. But, like a
good-looking automobile in a showroom, nothing will be known for sure until
he's actually taken the offense for a serious spin.

And all he got last year in Cleveland, really, was a drive around the block.

Last year as a rookie, injuries in Cleveland thrust Wynn from the No. 3 spot
into the action. He appeared in seven games, starting one. Playing behind a
leaky offensive line, he completed 22 of 54 passes for 167 yards and one
interception while being sacked 13 times. But for Wynn, it showed him one
thing -- that he belonged.

"You have to make positives out of negatives," Wynn said. "The outcome may
not have been what I would have liked. But you learn a lot of valuable
information out there, just playing. I feel more comfortable with myself and
my abilities having gone through it."

The Vikings liked Wynn enough to trade for him Sept. 3, primarily because of
what he had gone through. Wynn, a native of Bellaire, Texas, originally came
to the University of Minnesota before transferring to Southwest Texas State.
He played in a Bobcat offense that featured the vertical passing game,
throwing for 3,497 yards in two seasons.

The Vikings were interested in Wynn coming out of college, and were
impressed with his ability to adapt to the Browns' offensive philosophy,
going to more of a West Coast attack in Cleveland. They watched as he played
well in 10 starts for Amsterdam in NFL Europe.

Dennis Green, who has done a good job of developing quarterbacks, was happy
to trade a fifth-round draft choice for Wynn and running back Travis
Prentice.

"Any time you trade for a player, the first thing you do is go back to his
college days," Green said. "You want to know exactly what you thought of him
when he came out of college. We liked him a lot. I liked him lot. I think he
has a lot of athletic ability, he's a good competitor, a very smart player,
had the right height."

No one expected Wynn to play this quickly. But with Culpepper recovering
from surgery and Bouman's thumb sore, Wynn has been preparing for that
possibility, though he has not let his excitement get the best of him.

"Spergon is even keel, all the time," said defensive end Stalin Colinet, who
played with Wynn in Cleveland last season. "But he's a fighter."

Whether he'll get a chance to fight this weekend remains unclear. Wynn said
the extra reps this week will have him as prepared as he can be.

"I don't think I'll do anything surprising," he said. "But I'll go out there
and compete, make good decisions, put my team in a position to score
points."


*********** Our View ************

Tough call for Bouman owners.   You know he's dying to get out there and
showcase his abilities.  It's a golden opportunity for him with Culpepper
out so he's surely got motivation to be there.   But they sure seem to be
talking a lot about Wynn.   Hopefully, we'll know more late tonight.

I wish I had something definitive for you but at this point, I'm just
passing along to you everything I see on this.

Joe

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