Big Pat ready to settle up with Who Dat nation

After an offseason spent listening to Saints fans, this is one native Louisianan who is ready for Sept. 9.

August 9, 2010 at 5:34PM

I haven't stood and nodded off watched every Vikings practice the past two weeks. But one of the guys who stands out to me is Pat Williams.

While the oldest player on the roster (B. Favre) is absent, the second-oldest, Williams, 37, doesn't seem to be taking many reps off. And if you think Big Pat has lost any strength, ask rookie Toby Gerhart.

A few years back, I had a new picture window put in my front room. A beautiful clear piece of glass replaced an old piece that had those designer Xs between the sheets of glass. Humans loved it. Birds hated it because they tended to slam into it full speed and, well, no more bird.

Toby reminds me of those birds every time he runs into Big Pat.

I asked Williams today if there's a game he's circling on the calendar. In my biz, this is a softball and a half since the Saints are the first game.

"I don't hold no grudge toward anybody, but I don't like no Saints," Williams said. "I was born and raised in Louisiana, so that's all I heard all summer. So, yeah, I'm tired of the Saints. So circle that date for me. We had that [NFC Championship] game won. We can only blame ourselves."

One other observation from this morning's practice:

Right guard Anthony Herrera was sidelined with an injury, so rookie Chris DeGeare stepped in for him. DeGeare looks the part (then again, Marcus Johnson also looked the part, too). Chris can play both guard positions and is 6-4, 335 pounds, a good 20 or so bigger than Herrera.

I'm not saying Herrera is going to lose his job because his missed today's practice. But I would suggest he Google Wally Pipp.

about the writer

about the writer

Mark Craig

Sports reporter

Mark Craig has covered the NFL nearly every year since Brett Favre was a rookie back in 1991. A sports writer since 1987, he is covering his 30th NFL season out of 37 years with the Canton (Ohio) Repository (1987-99) and the Star Tribune (1999-present).

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