Posts by Adam Warwas

Defensive Tackle Depth Available Now

February 26, 2012, by No comments yet

The Bears dumped veteran defensive tackle Anthony Adams on Sunday, which will save them roughly $1.9 million in cap space, and the 31 year old will be available to sign with any team in the coming days.

A 31 year old defensive tackle with recent troubles producing results wouldn’t seem worth mentioning this offseason, but I have my reasons.

Last year, the Vikings were known to have interest in Adams before he re-signed with the Bears on a two year deal.  The Vikings subsequently signed Remi Ayodele to a three year deal worth $9 million.  Ayodele is due to make $2.2 million in 2012 after a forgettable first season with the Vikings.

Perhaps Adams represents a cheaper alternative to Ayodele and the Vikings will again have interest in signing him.

REPORT: Bowe To Get The Tag

February 26, 2012, by No comments yet

Those of you that had Dwayne Bowe atop your offseason wish lists may want to adjust accordingly.  Those of you that wanted Brandon Carr to join the secondary, your plan may still be viable.

According to multiple reports, the Kansas City Chiefs plan to use their franchise tag on the talented receiver which could, combined with the acquisition of Stanford Routt, be a signal that cornerback Brandon Carr will hit the open market.

Carr seems like a natural fit for Minnesota’s defense, as we have previously discussed, but he is likely to join any new team under a huge, new contract.  The Cowboys are rumored to like Carr’s skill set, and we all know that few people can drive up the price of a free agent like Jerry Jones can.

The Ones That Got Away

February 26, 2012, by No comments yet

As a fisherman, I know the feeling of the ones that get away.  One is always bigger and better than the one before it.  Every time a fish spits that hook, there is always a sinking feeling as I just know that fish was going to break some size record.

Of course, that isn’t always the case.

Last year, many fans regarded defensive end Ray Edwards and wide receiver Sidney Rice as big fish that the Vikings inexplicably let get away.  Less than one year later, both moves are starting to look very sensible, even if the team didn’t perform really well in their absence.

Neither Rice nor Edwards played particularly well in their first seasons with new teams.  Now, both are facing tough injuries in the offseason.

Edwards will have knee surgery for the second straight offseason after signing a five year deal with the Falcons worth about $30 million. 

Rice has had not one but two surgeries this offseason to repair a shoulder that he injured during the season.  His five year deal with the Seahawks is reportedly worth $41 million.

Neither injury is particularly career threatening, but the Vikings may have made the wise choice of letting these two walk last offseason instead of overpaying.

In the coming weeks, we will find out just what sort of compensation picks the Vikings will receive for letting Rice and Edwards find themselves new homes in different cities.

OFFSEASON PREVIEW: Last Line Of Defense

February 26, 2012, by No comments yet
Abdullah

[NOTE FROM ADAM:  This is the second-to-last installation of my position-by-position breakdown of the Vikings offseason.  The specialists will be the final segment, coming up soon.  You can click the links to view previous installments:  The Passers, The Runners, The Wide Outs, The Tight Ends, The Offensive Line, The Defensive Tackles, The Defensive Ends, The Linebackers, and The Cornerbacks.]

Members of the Vikings coaching staff and front office have made a habit of defending their safeties as fans and the media often pick on them for a lack of production.

This offseason, however, the team faces a crossroads at the position and we will find out just how much they really think of their current group of safeties. 

Let’s take a closer look.

Continue Reading →

Cost Of McNabb Disaster Cut In Half

February 25, 2012, by 1 comment

Donovan McNabb was sent to Minnesota by Washington in exchange for a 2012 sixth round pick and a conditional 2013 sixth round pick.

The conditional pick was reportedly based around playing time, and according to Tom Pelissero of 1500 ESPN, McNabb did not play enough snaps to trigger the condition.  McNabb played 348 of the team’s 1,037 snaps which is 33.6% and thought to be just under the amount needed to trigger the condition.

So, while the Vikings are one sixth rounder shy this offseason due to the McNabb trade, 2013 will not be affected.  This year, the Vikings have six of their regular picks (rounds 1-5 and round 7) and two extra picks (rounds 6 & 7) that came via the Sage Rosenfels and Jayme Mitchell trades.

Pelissero predicts the Vikings will get two fourth round conditional picks for losing Ray Edwards and Sidney Rice to free agency last offseason.  I have long been predicting a slightly less optimistic scenario for the compensatory picks in which the team nets one pick from the fourth, sixth and seventh rounds each.

Kalil Looks The Part

February 25, 2012, by No comments yet

Speculation surrounding the Vikings first round pick has been mostly centered around USC left tackle Matt Kalil ever since it became obvious their 2011 season was going nowhere.

Fans tuning into the combine this weekend were treated to a display of strength and athleticism that should confirm Kalil’s status as the top left tackle of this Draft prospect, ahead of Iowa’s Riley Reiff and Stanford’s Jonathan Martin.

Kalil had the second fastest 40-time of all the offensive linemen with a 4.99 official time.  He had 30 reps on the bench press, which is plenty respectable for an outside lineman.  He (and guard David DeCastro) blazed through the 3-cone drill posting a time of 7.33 seconds. 

He did post some disappointing results on the high jump and broad jump, which could lead to some worries about his burst off the line, but overall Kalil should have solidified his status as the top tackle in Indy.

It remains to be seen if the Vikings will draft Kalil, somebody else, or trade out of the three spot, but it is comforting to know that there will be such a talented option available in the top three this April.

Level Of Interest In The Combine

February 24, 2012, by 1 comment