Posts by Adam Warwas

No Expectations Are Set For A Greg Childs Return

May 2, 2013, by 3 comments

The Minnesota Vikings receiver depth chart took a big hit when Percy Harvin was traded to Seattle.  Now, there is hope that they took a few steps forwards when they signed veteran receiver Greg Jennings and drafted rookie wide out Cordarrelle Patterson.

Another boost to the passing game could come from the return of Greg Childs, drafted by the Vikings last season, who tore tendons in both knees before even being able to appear in a 2012 regular season game.  His timeline for return was often brought up throughout the free agency and Draft periods of this offseason, but his status has largely remained a mystery.

While Childs refuses to publicly state an expectation for his full recovery it was visible to reporters on Wednesday that he has come a long ways.

Childs could be seen running sprints at Winter Park as part of his rehabilitation.

“I’m doing a lot of cutting, some jumping, some sprinting,” Childs told reporters. “All the necessary things I need to be doing, I’m doing now.”

Childs admits he isn’t close to 100% healthy and while he is determined and motivated to make it back, he isn’t going to rush things along.

“There’s no sense coming back 80, 90 percent,” Childs said. “That’s not going to really help the team out. That’s what we’re trying to do right now — just get me back on the field so I can really help the team.”

It would be a bonus for the Vikings to get Childs healthy and back into the mix for 2013, but it shouldn’t be relied on.

 

Henderson To Man The Middle For Now

May 1, 2013, by 15 comments

Some hack bloggers (anybody know one?) thought it was highly likely the Vikings would target a middle linebacker early in the Draft.  Other media types, including one guy who should return a paycheck to his employer for this clunker, thought it was a “100% certainty” that the Vikings would draft Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o in the first round.

They didn’t target a middle linebacker early on.  They didn’t wind up with Te’o… or Alec Ogletree… or Arthur Brown… or Kevin Minter.

In fact, they didn’t draft one until the seventh round, when they selected Michael Mauti from Penn State.  Mauti has the talent to be selected much earlier, but an injury history that rivals that of Humpty Dumpty.

Rick Spielman may have, for the second year in a row, used a little misdirection to lead to all of that speculation about the position.  Instead, he may have been planning to use Erin Henderson at that spot all along, and the proof of this might be the fact that Henderson has already packed on an extra eight or nine pounds in preparation for his possible move to the inside.  Another bit of proof might be that the Vikings quickly signed him to a two year deal worth $4 million, which seemed a little out of place considering how long they let him dangle on the free agent market last offseason before signing him to a one year prove-it deal.

Now that players are starting to flood Winter Park to take part in the offseason programs, things are perhaps starting to come into focus a little more, and we do know that the Vikings are planning on having Henderson play in the middle as of now.  This, of course, is a very similar path that his brother E,J. took to becoming a very solid middle linebacker for the Vikings.

Henderson has struggled with pass coverage at times, but he is quite a bit more athletic than last year’s starter Jasper Brinkley was, and could cover more ground.  Then, if someone like rookie Gerald Hodges can step into the weakside spot, the Vikings may have themselves a much faster group of linebackers than what we saw in 2012.  Considering the amount of mobile quarterbacks on the schedule this coming season, that might just be a key to their potential success, and is certainly something interesting to follow at the very least.

16 Undrafted Free Agents Announced (With Notes)

May 1, 2013, by 12 comments

The Vikings announced the signing of 16 free agents on Tuesday after days of trying to track down confirmed reports of who was in, who was not, and who might be getting a crack at the roster.  Here are your 16 guys with a brief note on each:

James Vandenberg, QB, Iowa:  Made a name for himself in 2011, as the best quarterback in the Big Ten, but a miserable season in 2012 killed his draft stock.  The big question is whether or not the struggles were his fault or a result of the talent around him.

Erik Highsmith, WR, North Carolina:  A tough and physical receiver, but struggled to get separation in college, and doesn’t have the athleticism to do it as a pro.  Across the middle, in the end zone, and on special teams is where he can make himself stand out.  Not a big play type of guy.

Nicholas Edwards, WR, Eastern Washington:  A big receiver that seemed to be on the rise prior to a knee injury that hampered his senior season.  Like Highsmith, he is more of a possession and end zone receiver, and won’t win a roster spot based off of explosive upside.

Brandan Bishop, S, N.C. State:  Limited athleticism here means a limited ceiling, but Bishop arguably displays more consistency in every facet of his game than Robert Blanton, who the Vikings drafted last year, did coming out of Notre Dame.  If you are looking for a guy with a real shot to stick, this might be him.

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Middle Linebacker Still A Need… But So Is Point Guard

April 30, 2013, by 6 comments

The Minnesota Vikings released defensive back Nick Taylor on Tuesday, according to reports.

Taylor made headlines, and provided an opportunity for sophomoric headlines (look up), when the Vikings signed the Florida International point guard to play cornerback as an undrafted free agent.  Given the recent acquisitions of cornerbacks Xavier Rhodes and Jacob Lacey it is not overly surprising that the Vikings wanted to part ways with their inexperienced long shot.

Taylor caught the front office’s eye when he ran sub-4.4 forty yard dashes at FIU’s pro day, and presumably made an impression on tape from his brief stint in arena football, but he never played a down for the Vikings.  He spent 2012 on injured reserve after suffering a shoulder injury.

Locke Acquisition Shows Conley The Door

April 29, 2013, by 134 comments

It is widely assumed, and for really good reason, that Vikings punter Chris Kluwe will be released following the fifth round investment the Vikings made in UCLA rookie punter Jeff Locke.

Kluwe was not the first punter shown the door, however, as it was T.J. Conley that was cut before ever even practicing once with the team.  Despite his very brief stay in Minnesota, Conley went out of his way to say some nice things on his way out.

The Vikings waited about eight days after drafting Blair Walsh last year before releasing veteran kicker Ryan Longwell. The move coincided with Walsh showing up to the rookie minicamp healthy, able, and willing.

Rookie minicamp begins at the end of this week and, at that point, the Kluwe watch will be in full force.

A Rare Look Inside The War Room

April 29, 2013, by 4 comments

We are still working our way through the newest crop of Vikings hopefuls that were drafted this weekend, taking an in-depth look at each, but this week Vikings.com offered an insiders view of the Vikings war room.

The video can be viewed by clicking here, which you should do.

The video starts of with the phone call to Xavier Rhodes, who the Vikings selected 25th overall on Thursday night, but gets even more fun when the cameras return to film to process that led up to the trade with New England for the 29th spot.  You can feel the excitement in the room, even from owners Zygi and Mark Wilf, and when the coaches take turns speaking with Cordarrelle Patterson you feel like they consider this Draft to be their first victory of 2013.

Vikings Add Another Name To The Cornerback Mix

April 29, 2013, by 8 comments

The Vikings officially announced the signing of defensive end Lawrence Jackson today, which we already knew about last week, but Jackson isn’t the only veteran free agent that inked a prove-it deal with the Vikings on Monday.

The Vikings signed cornerback Jacob Lacey to a one year contract with the Vikings, for which financial details were not immediately available, but it is expected to be minimal.

Lacey, who turns 26 next month, was an undrafted free agent signed by the Colts in 2009. He played three seasons with Colts, starting 27 of those games with five interceptions, two returned for touchdowns, 21 defended passes, three forced fumbles, one recovery, and 158 total tackles.

He then moved onto Detroit for one season where he had nine starts, 29 tackles, four defended passes, and an interception.

Assuming Chris Cook and rookie Xavier Rhodes win the starting corner spots on the outside, Lacey figures to battle in training camp to become the team’s nickel or dime back.  That battle will primarily be against the likes of Josh Robinson, A.J. Jefferson, Brandon Burton, and Marcus Sherels.

One can’t help but notice that both of these recent free agency acquisitions wore Lions helmets last season who the Vikings not-so-coincidentally face in week one of the regular season.