Monthly archive: February, 2012

Stanford Routt Is On The Radar

February 10, 2012, by 1 comment

I haven’t got the cornerback position yet in my ongoing “Offseason Preview” segment, but the gist of what is going to be said is that the Vikings must be aggressive in upgrading the talent they have.

This week, the Raiders decided to avoid paying out ridiculous amounts of money to cornerback Stanford Routt and cut him loose.  This means he is an unrestricted free agent, but does not have to wait until March to sign with a new team.

According to the Pioneer Press, Routt will be visiting Buffalo and Tennessee in the near future, but his agent has listed the Vikings as another team to express interest.

According the article, Routt held his assignments to only a 47.4% completion rate in 2011.  However, he gave up eight touchdowns, was flagged an astonishing 17 times, and was consistently picked on by opposing offenses.

The bottom line is Routt is a talented cornerback, but he should not be considered a true #1 cornerback in the NFL and certainly should not be getting paid like one.

There would be one small side benefit to signing Routt to keep in mind.  He is not a true unrestricted free agent since his contract didn’t expire, but rather he cut, so the team that signs him will not be any less likely to receive compensatory draft picks as a result in 2013.

Routt is currently 28 years old and has played seven NFL seasons.  He is durable, and has played every game in the last three seasons, and had a career high four interceptions in 2011.

We will be sure to keep you updated on the rumors surrounding the Vikings interest in Routt.

OFFSEASON PREVIEW: The Pass Rushers

February 10, 2012, by 6 comments
Minnesota Vikings v New York Jets

[NOTE FROM ADAM:  This is another installation of my position-by-position breakdown of the Vikings offseason.  You can click the links to view previous installments:  The Passers, The Runners, The Wide Outs, The Tight Ends, The Offensive Line, and The Defensive Tackles.]

Perhaps the most exciting thing about the Minnesota Vikings in 2011 was their ability to get to opposing quarterbacks.  The team was tied with the Eagles for the most sacks with an even 50, and Jared Allen came within mere inches of breaking the all time sack record.

There is no doubt that the Vikings defense needs some serious work, but the defensive end position is fairly solidified.  Still, there are options the Vikings have, and evaluations to take place.

Let’s take a closer look.

Continue Reading →

The Number Is In: $115.3 Million

February 9, 2012, by 6 comments

One of the greatest mysteries surrounding this offseason is how things will shake out one year following the new Collective Bargaining Agreement being put into place.

Kevin Seifert over at ESPN has just about figured it all out… or at least seems close.

The NFL salary cap is not expected to grow much from where it was last year, which was $120 million, and the highest number I have seen is $125 million.

According to Seifert, the Vikings currently have a cap total of $115.3 million, which doesn’t give them a whole lot of spending cash considering they are expected to have a large class of rookies in need of a contract.

The top tier free agents of 2012, such as Vincent Jackson or Carl Nicks, will not get the kind of money they are looking for from Minnesota unless the team figures out a way to clear up significant cap space.  This could happen via releasing expensive veterans and/or restructuring contracts.

Either way, if the Vikings are going to make moves like that, we should start hearing about them pretty soon.  Keep an eye on Steve Hutchinson and Kevin Williams.

Viking Update Is On A Roll

February 9, 2012, by 1 comment

At a time when Vikings news is incredibly slow, I have been impressed with Viking Update and their ability to come up with some interesting articles that I want to point you all towards:

  •  John Holler reminisces about Rick Spielman’s inability to contain his glee when he struck a Draft Day trade with the Vikings (he was Miami’s G.M. at the time) to move up one spot and nab offensive lineman Vernon Carey.  Even years after the move, Spielman gushed about Carey and how badly he wanted to draft him.  Now that Spielman is the Vikings G.M., and Carey is expected to become an unrestricted free agent, Holler makes a very solid argument that Carey will be added to the Vikings offensive line during the upcoming free agency period.  Read the whole story here.
  • Quarterback Christian Ponder took some time off and was “lazy” for the first few weeks of the offseason.  Now, however, he is back at Winter Park and plans to be working out there for most of the offseason.  Ponder is working through some new things, including what he describes as “hot yoga,” and says he has recovered from his various injuries experienced at the end of the season.  Here’s hoping that “hot yoga” has a more positive impact on Ponder than playing tennis had on Bryant McKinnie.  Read the whole story here.
  • The City of Duluth has officially thrown their hat into the ring as a suitor to house the Vikings.  Senator Roger Reinert introduced the latest Vikings bill that would see a stadium built in his town of Duluth.  The Vikings said they applaud Duluth’s efforts to finding a stadium solution, but with the current legislative session already underway, the team is going to continue to focus their efforts on Minneapolis and Arden Hills.  Read the whole story here.
  • In wondering if the Vikings can turn things around as quickly as many hope, Brian Hall looks at what happened the last time the Vikings posted a 3-13 record, which is the worst they have ever finished.  In 1984, the Vikings went 3-13 just like in 2011, and the following year they were able to manage a record of 7-9.  After that, the Vikings had four straight winning seasons and earned a trip to the NFC Championship.  Read the whole story here.

OFFSEASON PREVIEW: The Run Stoppers

February 9, 2012, by 2 comments
K-Will

[NOTE FROM ADAM:  This is another installation of my position-by-position breakdown of the Vikings offseason.  You can click the links to view previous installments:  The Passers, The Runners, The Wide Outs, The Tight Ends, and The Offensive Line.]

After covering each position on the offense, it is time to turn our attention towards the defensive side of the ball.

On offense the Vikings experienced no coaching turnover, but that is not the case on defense.  New Defensive Coordinator Alan Williams will have Leslie Frazier and Mike Singletary looking over his shoulder.  Fred Pagac has moved back to his old post in charge of the linebackers.  Defensive Line Coach Karl Dunbar was sent packing, and the enthusiastic Brendan Daly.

Even with the changes within the coaching staff, the Vikings are largely expected to stay the course from a scheme standpoint.  From a personnel standpoint, however, things could be changing.

Defensive tackles are up first.

Let’s take a closer look.

Continue Reading →

Another Left Tackle Possibility

February 8, 2012, by 1 comment

The widely accepted theory revolving around this offseason plan for the Minnesota Vikings is that the left tackle position will be one of the highest (if not the highest) priority for Rick Spielman and company.

As things stand now, many fans believe Spielman will attempt to solve this particular problem by draft USC tackle Matt Kalil or Iowa tackle Riley Reiff.

Those beliefs are likely to stay intact until the Vikings make their first selection in April, or until another option suddenly surfaces that is too good to pass up.

One of those opportunities could come in the form of two-time Pro Bowl left tackle Marcus McNeil.  According to a report from Kevin Acee, the San Diego Chargers are expected to clear $10 million in cap space by waiving McNeil in March.

In 2010 McNeil, regarded at the time as one of the top three left tackles in the game, signed a six year deal worth $48.98 million.  According to Acee, however, the $24.5 million in guarantees McNeil receive apply only to skill and not to injury.  Thus, if McNeil can’t pass a physical by March 15th then his contract is not guaranteed and the Chargers can cut him loose with minimal losses.

Since signing the big deal, McNeil has struggled with serious neck and back injuries and has played in only 20 of the last 32 games.  Acee reports that McNeil is expected to fail his physicals prior to March 15th, and thus it appears likely McNeil hits the free market.

The Vikings will likely continue to perform due diligence on this year’s top rookie tackles, but if they end up deciding that a 28 year old injury risk veteran is less risky than what they see in these rookie prospects, it is a possibility that the Vikings show sincere interest in McNeil.  He will undoubtedly be the top left tackle free agent available.

Of course, the most likely course of action remains the one that involves the Vikings using their first round draft pick on a stellar left tackle prospect this April.

Poll Of The Week: Least Likely To Make Hall Of Fame

February 7, 2012, by 2 comments

Originally for this week’s poll, I wanted to see who everyone thought the next Viking to make it into the Pro Football Hall of Fame would be. After thinking about it a while though, it seemed pretty likely that Cris Carter (who was recently snubbed entry into the Hall of Fame) would easily receive the most votes.

So instead, I thought it would be a little more interesting to list some of the more popular Vikings greats, who currently aren’t in the Hall of Fame, and see everyone’s opinion on who is least likely to ever make it in.

I didn’t provide an “Other” option because of the simple fact that there are many great Vikings who will never get in to the Hall. But, if you are absolutely convinced I missed someone, you’re more than welcome to elaborate in the comments!

Alright, have at it!