Leverage is one of those concepts that most people have difficulty grasping. When Orton played the AP role last season most people assumed that the Cowboys playing hardball would force him to retire. Instead, he ended up as the starting QB for a team on the playoff fringe. Why? Because he used the only leverage he had: being a jerk, spilling poison wherever he could, etc. And to make that problem go away the Cowboys had to eat his contract and are still paying for the pleasure. While it would have been nice to have him vs. Arizona I doubt anyone on the team regrets their decision to cut a potential cancer.
The Vikings are faced with a similar situation with some important distinctions.
A. They'll actually save a huge chunk of cash if he's playing elsewhere. Too late to do much with it this year, but they'd be set to extend Smith next year and have a bunch of space to work with.
B. Adrian Peterson is the face of their franchise. Having your most important player playing the Orton role is a recipe for disaster. All the goodwill from last season would dissipate and the potential for disrupting Bridgewater's development would exist. It would be like Tony being in Orton's shoes.
While the Vikings hold some cards they run serious risks if they take this standoff into the season.
