Answering Questions From The Floor

Yesterday, mainly out of boredom, I solicited questions from the readers and promised to answer as many as possible.  So, for whatever the answers might be worth, here we go:

Who’s the MVP of the season so far?

Adam Says:  Starting me off with an easy one, sweet!  Percy Harvin has been incredible this season.  62 catches for 677 yards three touchdowns.  22 rushing attempts for 96 yards and a touchdown.  Averaging 35.9 yards on 16 kick returns and a touchdown.  The guy has been elite in every sense of the word.  Watching guys like Larry Fitzgerald struggle with poor quarterback play, it makes Harvin’s production even more impressive considering the current state of the offense.

Let’s assume, for the sake of argument, Frasier is gone. You, Adam Warwas, have a blank check and the ultimate decision on who replaces him. You CANNOT choose an active HC in the NFL, but everybody else, OC, DC etc. is up for grabs…as is ANYBODY (HC’s included) in college. Who do you, Adam Warwas, NFL HC KINGMAKER, choose to lead the Vikes?

Adam Says:  I’m on the Chip Kelly bandwagon, without a doubt, but would certainly hope Leslie Frazier isn’t leaving this soon in the rebuilding process.

Who are the biggest positive and negative surprises on the team this year?

Adam Says:  There were a ton of pleasantly surprising performances early on in the year, but consistency has been a problem of late for almost everybody.  One thing I will say, however, is the Mike Priefer has done an incredible job with his special teams unit and I have to give him props for fielding a top notch squad this season.  From fixing the problems that plagued Blair Walsh in college, to giving Harvin more reps on special teams, to sticking with Marcus Sherels, to having very good coverage units… Mike Priefer has been the Vikings most impressive coach this season.  The negative question is easy:  this recent slump of Christian Ponder’s.

If…….scratch that…….when upper management is fired, should it be the Wilfs firing Spielman and the coaches or should it be Spielman firing and hiring coaches?

Adam Says:  While the latter seems more likely, I don’t think either will happen this year.  The improvement has been drastic, even if they aren’t yet Super Bowl contenders at this point.  I would say that Bill Musgrave is the coach whose seat is heating up and that decision would be Frazier’s to make.

How long do they stick with the Muskrat/Ponder experiment?

Adam Says:  At least until the end of this season.  Musgrave has to get it turned around, and if he doesn’t then Ponder might get another chance in a new system.

Do you find the post game and mid week pressers from Frazier and Ponder as boring and meaningless as I do?

Adam Says:  Yes, I do.  However, I’d rather have it this way than the way it was in the last few years of the Childress era.  Stephen Colbert hasn’t mentioned the Vikings in over a year and TMZ isn’t at all interested in us, and I consider both of those facts to be an improvement since 2010.

Who’s the Rookie MVP?

Adam Says:  Tough question.  I think Rick Spielman might have found at least three future Pro Bowl players in Matt Kalil, Harrison Smith, and Blair Walsh.  Kalil has only surrendered one sack in the season so far.  Smith managed to score on defense, which is a rarity for this Vikings defense, and has been a huge improvement at safety.  I think I have to give the nod to Walsh, however, that has been near-perfect on field goals and is a league leader in touchbacks.

If you could only listen to one music CD the rest of your life, what is it?

Adam Says:  I feel a lot pressure here.  I’m tossing a lot of great albums aside by making this choice, but I have to go with “The King Is Dead” by The Decemberists.  So many great songs, especially this one, that I could just listen to over and over and over again.

Do you think Jarius Wright will make any difference for this Vikings team forward or do you think he will ultimately be a bust?

Adam Says:  First off, nobody should expect Wright to have the same in-game impact that Harvin does, and if Wright is only active when Harvin is injured then he just isn’t very good.  If they can eventually work him into the offense on his own merits, however, then that could be very interesting.  They have a similar skill set and if Wright can play good fundamentals, he could carve out a role for himself… starting this week.

Will the construction schedule of the stadium and playing at the Gopher’s stadium keep big name GMs or HCs from coming to MN?

Adam Says:  No, I don’t think so.  If Spielman and Frazier keep improving this team, however, then there won’t be any need to worry about attracting big names.

If you could undo one personal move in the offseason, what would that be?

Adam Says:  I don’t really have a huge problem with any of the moves made this offseason, even the signing of John Carlson, but I do think the Vikings missed on some major opportunities in free agency.  Guard Carl Nicks, receiver Vincent Jackson, and a number of linebacker options all could have helped this team be slightly better than they are right now.

If you could choose between Tom Brady or Andrew Luck to come aboard with the Vikes, age obviously being a factor, who do you choose to take over right NOW and finish out their career here?

Adam Says:  That’s easy for me, Andrew Luck.  He’s got another 12 to 15 years in this league and is an incredible quarterback already.  I’m hard pressed to find another quarterback, including Brady, that was so flawless and consistent with his mechanics and footwork as a rookie.

What are the Vikings biggest priorities in the offseason?

Adam Says:  Wide receiver has to be the top priority and that starts with Percy Harvin’s contract situation.  Getting Harvin contented monetarily will be step one in ensuring that this team can then move forward, and not take a step back, in developing an offense full of weapons.

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