The North squad left the team hotel Thursday morning for practice at Ladd Peebles Stadium as scheduled, but didn’t stay very long.

The Cincinnati Bengals’ trade of disgruntled quarterback Carson Palmer to the Oakland Raiders on Tuesday stands as one of the biggest draft-day deals in NFL history.

It has been a steep fall for Vikings fans since the team’s heart-breaking loss to the Saints in NFC Championship Game two seasons ago.

Tom Brady‘s air show Monday night was the talk of the NFL, but lost in the afterglow of Brady’s 517 passing yards and New England’s 38-24 victory is the fact that Dolphins QB Chad Henne was pretty good, too. In fact, the teams combined for 906 net yards passing, an NFL record. Watch all the dizzying highlights here.

Leslie Frazier has maintained the Vikings want to retain Sidney Rice, and NFL.com’s Steve Wyche believes the team will be competitive in the free-agent market to keep the four-year veteran.

Lions coach Jim Schwartz has a plan for his backfield, and it’s not going to improve the fantasy value of Jahvid Best.

The first big shock of the draft didn’t last long. It went precisely four picks, from the time the Titans took Jake Locker eighth overall until the Vikings made Christian Ponder the 12th pick overall and the fourth quarterback selected in the draft.

Based on the current state of things around the NFL, it’s tough to find any news that has major fantasy significance (sigh). So when several coaches and other organizational leaders discussed the state of their teams during the annual Owners Meetings, you can only imagine how quickly I jumped on the information.

And now for a few thoughts, observations and highlights as we wrap up Day 2 of the NFL Scouting Combine.

At least one Vikings player believes the team’s window to win is still open, a factor that will no doubt play a role in the team’s decision at quarterback.

The unsettled quarterback situation in Minnesota is one of the most intriguing of the offseason. Much like the Cardinals, Panthers, Titans, Redskins and 49ers, the Vikings have no clear-cut starter and are in search of the next franchise passer.

Yes, it’s a special Tuesday edition of The Morning After. But only because Bud Grant made it happen.

It’s been a topic of conversation since he picked himself up off the turf at Mall of America field two weeks ago: Has Brett Favre played his last snap in the NFL?

I’m betting Brett Favre is working diligently to try to come back over the last three games of the season, and I think he’s doing it with the full support of head coach Leslie Frazier.

Adrian Peterson is the best running back in football, and the Vikings are reverting back to the strategy of 2008 under interim coach Leslie Frazer when they relied on Peterson to win games.