Posts by Brett Anderson

Vikings Roundtable: 12 Free Agency and Offseason Questions

March 10, 2012, by 5 comments

Because free agency is just around the corner and, in general, there is quite a bit happening with our Vikings right now, Vikings Territory and a few other great Vikings blogs around the web got together for a roundtable discussion, so-to-speak. Randy Perrin, of Vikings Gab, posed various questions and we all did our best to provide our own insight and opinion. There were a total of 12 questions with numbers 4-6 below. To see questions 1-3, head on over to Vikings Gab. For questions 7-9, check out a new Vikings blog that’s already put out some great stuff, The Vikings Den. Finally, for questions 10-12, head on over to TC Huddle.

Continue reading to see how we answered questions regarding the draft, veteran players and how we feel Christian Ponder did in 2011.

Continue Reading →

COMMUNITY MOCK: Pick Six

March 6, 2012, by No comments yet

Pick five is in the books in our Vikings Territory Community Mock Draft. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made an unsurprising pick and took Morris Claiborne, the stud cornerback from LSU. It wasn’t even a contest with Claiborne receiving 82% of the votes.

Now, the St. Louis Rams are back on the clock after moving down and trading their #2 pick to the Washington Redskins (who selected Robert Griffin III). The Rams primary needs are offensive tackle and wide receiver. Do they reach a little bit and take Riley Reiff or Michael Floyd? Do they trade again and attempt to move down further in the draft? You decide in our poll below.

After making your pick, make sure to tell us the reasoning behind your choice in the comments section and we may include your analysis in our draft table.

You’re on the clock!

Peyton Manning And The Inevitable Question

March 6, 2012, by 5 comments

Chris Mortensen of ESPN reported today the Indianapolis Colts will officially announce tomorrow in a press conference that they will be moving forward without Peyton Manning as quarterback. This news shouldn’t be particularly surprising to anyone as it has been well known the Colts would select [supposed] prodigy Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck with the first pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. After going 2-14 last season, the Colts have had a complete overhaul from the top down. Supposedly, Manning preferred  to stay in Indianapolis but the Colts just don’t want him – displayed by the fact that they never even attempted to engage in negotiations with him.

So, here it is – the inevitable question:

With Peyton Manning now becoming a free agent, would you want the veteran quarterback to man the helm in Minnesota?

The Vikings are notorious for going after veteran players past their prime (not saying Manning is…). While I would like to think that they will stay true to becoming a younger team and developing Christian Ponder, there is a part of me that wonders if they would really go after Manning.

Honestly, I’m not sure that they could realistically pursue the pricey passer due to our situation with the salary cap. But just as a hypothetical, would you have Peyton Manning as quarterback of the Vikings? Vote below and give us your thoughts in the comments.

 

Sharper’s Denial Is [S]moot

March 6, 2012, by 5 comments

NFL players continue to come to the aid of former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams in light of the recent bounty scandal. One of them, Darren Sharper (ex-Packer, Vikings and Saints safety), apparently hasn’t gotten the memo that Williams has already confessed and apologized for providing incentives for players to play with the intent of injuring their competition. Last Friday, Darren Sharper told reporters that there were only incentives for making big plays (such as interceptions, fumbles, etc…), not for injuring the opponent. Sharper was back at it today when he did an interview for a Philadelphia radio station.

“Saying that we were trying to maim guys or try to cart a guy off is just totally ridiculous… I don’t think Coach Peyton had anything or didn’t know anything about that. Coach Peyton didn’t have any idea what we were doing… Was it overseen and controlled by the coaching staff? Yes it was.”

I mean, seriously? Doesn’t Sharper have someone that can keep him informed and up-to-date on this stuff? It would really serve Sharper well to just shut up – something he’s never been capable of.

Fred Smoot is another one of the mindless fools that has come to the aid of Gregg Williams. Smoot played under Williams for two years with the Redskins. It has been reported, since the news broke about the bounty system in place in New Orleans, that Williams had implemented similar incentive programs during previous employment with the Redskins and the Bills. Smoot smooted,

“We started a pot as a defensive backfield of who could get the most forced fumbles, who could get the most interceptions… It was never a bounty… Gregg never put in a dime. Gregg never came in and said do this, or do that. We did that ourselves as a way to kind of pump each other up to go make more plays… He never coached dirty football… I never saw anyone paid for knocking someone out of the game. Did we, as players, put in pots to make plays, what we called ‘big splash plays?’ We did that. Players.”

Smoot’s defense of his former defensive coordinator directly contradicts the detailed account of former safety Matt Bowen who was also with the Redskins under Williams.What’s funny is that even if there was no bounties placed on injuries and it was just for interceptions, sacks, etc… it still violates the NFL cap rules.

In other news, amidst all of the turmoil taking place in New Orleans (whether it be due to the bounty news or franchising Drew Brees), the Saints have also found time to bring in Randy Moss for workouts. Rumor is the Saints want to bring in the veteran wide receiver to help clean up the locker room culture and encourage players to play for the love of the game instead of monetary incentives. (I kid…) But seriously, the Saints are one of the few teams planned to be bringing in #84 for workouts.

COMMUNITY MOCK: Day Five

March 5, 2012, by No comments yet

Day four is in the books with the Cleveland Browns selecting Oklahoma State wide receiver Justin Blackmon. It was close though with running back Trent Richardson being the runner-up.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, whose primary needs this offseason are cornerback, wide receiver and linebacker, are now on the clock. Use the poll below to make your selection and leave us a comment with some sort of explanation for your choice. We just might use yours as the “analysis” in our draft table.

Speaking of the “draft table”, don’t forget to check out the “Community Mock” page to see the prior picks in the draft!

Saints Franchise Brees. Nicks, Colston Likely To Hit Market

March 3, 2012, by 6 comments

For the past year, quarterback Drew Brees and the Saints have been attempting to negotiate a contract to keep their elite passer in New Orleans. Today, overshadowed by the revelation of the Saints dirty scheming which has absolutely infuriated me and opened old wounds I thought were stitched tightly, it was reported by Jay Glazer of Fox Sports that Drew Brees was given the franchise tag and will remain in New Orleans (or, in other words, the two parties were unable to come to an agreement).

Now, I know what you’re thinking: “Get this stupid news concerning this dirty team, which we all hate right now, off of my favorite Vikings blog!” Hold on a second, because in a roundabout way, this concerns the Vikings as well.

By franchising Brees, the Saints are in bad shape with their salary cap. I guess they’re in better shape than they would be had they actually worked out a contract, but it still isn’t looking good for them. The Saints will only have around 6 million left in cap room after using the franchise tag (maybe they can find some wiggle room in their bounty fund?). This shortage of funds will make it difficult (nearly impossible) for the Saints to retain some of their other big name free agents. More specifically, guard Carl Nicks and wide receiver Marques Colston will likely hit the open market and both players have been mentioned in various Vikings circles as players they could/should be targeting in free agency. Wide reciever Robert Meachem could become a free agent as well.

Carl Nicks would be a great addition and instant upgrade to the Vikings offensive line. If he were coupled with Matt Kalil, dare I say, we could almost overnight have one of the better offensive lines in the league.

Robert Meachem on the other hand is a little harder to gauge. Was he the product of less coverage due to the group of elite receivers around him? Did Drew Brees just make him look good? Could he really excel as a #1 receiver? These are all questions that would need to be addressed. But if the price is right, I imagine the Vikings could entertain picking up Colston.

Another issue, in light of the news of the Saints perverse bounty system, is whether or not the Vikings would want anyone from New Orleans. Granted, the potential free agents mentioned above are on offense and the Saints transgressions were by players and staff on defense (as far as we know). Still though, you have to consider that it could weigh into the team’s decision.

I wonder, if Colston or Nicks were to be Vikings when we play New Orleans again in the future, would the Saints put a bounty on them? Wouldn’t surprise me…

Could The Bengals Be A Potential Trade Partner?

March 2, 2012, by 7 comments

It is pretty likely that the St. Louis Rams will end up selling the second pick of the 2012 NFL Draft to the highest bidder. There are multiple teams out there that are willing to pay for him… and I imagine they are willing to pay a lot. For this reason, over the past few days, there have been various articles claiming that the Vikings win over the Redskins in late December may have been the costliest in Vikings history because it moved the Rams up to the number 2 spot (as well as caused a major injury to Adrian Peterson). There have also been articles claiming that the Vikings won’t likely have many interested in trading with them at the third spot if RGIII is off the board.

While I would agree that if Griffin is taken with the #2 pick (which is very likely) there will be less interest in the third pick, I do believe that there is still opportunity for a trade to happen. And here’s a good reason/example:

Continue Reading →