The talk around town is that the Vikings don't need to worry too much about signing wide receiver Randy Moss because they can always slap the franchise tag on him if negotiations break down. However, that tag doesn't come without its own complications.

The NFL comes up with rules that sometimes need explaining even to players and coaches. Such is the case with Indianapolis tight end Marcus Pollard and potentially Randy Moss.

The Colts franchised Pollard before free agency began — a move that stunned many because, while Pollard is a solid player, he doesn’t seem to fit the definition of a franchise player. The Indianapolis media began to express some concerns about Pollard’s contract negotiations with the team breaking down, but that is apparently where the fine print of the league’s franchise rules kicks in and something the Vikings will have to go over if the scenario arises with Moss.

When the league created its franchising policy, there were concerns that some teams would look to simply circumvent free agency, name a player as a franchise player and then sign him after the free agency period cooled down. In Pollard’s case, if the Colts sign him to a long-term deal before training camp begins in mid-July, the team would forfeit the franchise designation for the entire length of Pollard’s contract.

Under this same situation, if the Vikings were to franchise Moss before free agency in 2001, the team would almost assuredly be prevented from signing him all through the spring and summer, because, if he’s given the 10-year contract he’s looking for, the Vikings wouldn’t have the franchise tag for as long as he remains a Viking.

While the team maintains a unified public front, talk behind the scenes is that not everyone in the organization is as enamored with Moss as Red McCombs and Dennis Green seem to be. There is some talk that the Vikings would be better off considering a deal with Daunte Culpepper and the franchise tag for him. If Moss would hold out as the result of being franchised, he would remain the property of the Vikings for as long as he held out, but would also keep the franchise tag with him and it couldn’t be used if talks with Culpepper would hit a wall.

FRIDAY NOTES
* Backlash off of Randy Moss’ comments made earlier this week continue to reverberate. He took a backhanded shot at Culpepper, saying he didn’t deserve as much credit as he was given for Moss’ success. He said he was successful with whoever was quarterbacking the team and doesn’t really need a lot of other talent around him to carry the team — saying that he and Cris Carter were more the reason for Culpepper’s success than the other way around. * The Vikings concluded their first voluntary mini-camp Thursday. The team has scheduled another three-day session for next week.
* There is still no word from the NFL when cornerback Dale Carter will be reinstated to the league. It may not be until mid-July, which wouldn’t give him a lot of time to hook up with another team once he’s cut by Denver — which is said to be a done deal already and simply a formality. That could work in the Vikings’ favor, since Carter and his agent are both aware of the Vikings’ interest in Carter. If the team wants to go in another direction with a player like James Hasty, the Vikings could take more time and stand fast on a smaller number to get him signed instead.
* In other cornerback news, former Viking Dewayne Washington has impressed the brass at Pittsburgh so much that the team has opened contract negotiations for an extension. Although he still has two years remaining on his current deal, the Steelers like him and could get some immediate cap relief by signing him to a longer deal.