Posts by Brett Anderson

Draft Target: Xavier Rhodes

February 27, 2013, by 9 comments

Adam has been absolutely killing it with his ‘Draft Target’ posts. Come April 25th, there will likely be no one the readers here at VT haven’t heard of the way he’s been rolling these things out. But I can’t let him have all the fun, right? Plus, I need to get my studying on as in a few days I will be representing Vikings Territory for the second time in #MockOne (Don’t know what #MockOne is? Check it out here.)

Xavier Rhodes. This is a name you may want to get familiar with in the next couple months headed up to the draft. The lengthy Cornerback from Florida St. has definitely began to catch the eyes of draftniks out there. And with a stellar performance today at the final day of the 2013 NFL Combine, he is likely to attract even more attention.

Rhodes (22) graduated from Norland High School in his hometown of Miami, Florida. In 2009, Xavier only played in two games, one for Boston College and the other for Georgia Tech, due to a hand injury that kept him from participating the majority of the season. In 2010, he moved to FSU where he impressed “as a promising young star” and won various rookie and freshman awards. In his next two years at Florida State, Rhodes solidified his role as one of the best corners in the nation and was on watch lists for both the Bednarik and Thorpe Awards.

Read any scouting report for Xavier Rhodes and I promise you’ll find the word ‘big’ within the first thirty words. Rhodes measured in at the combine at a whopping 6’1″ tall and 210 lbs. His size and large frame allow him to be an excellent press corner who is always pressuring the receiver. Don’t be mislead by his size, though. Rhodes ran a 4.43 40 at the combine today. He also had the highest vertical jump and broad jump of any defensive backs at the combine showing great leg strength and explosion. This ability to get off the ground coupled with his lengthy stature allows him to compete for balls with receivers. Rhodes is also well-known as being one of the best (if not the best) cover corners in the nation.The only real, consistent knock on Rhodes is that he isn’t amazing in run support and could work on his tackling.

There are bigger needs for the Vikings than Cornerback, no doubt about it. But, there are a few reasons why I think this pick would be really good for the Vikings.

First and foremost, I’m not completely sold on taking a wide receiver late in the first round (yet…). To me, the value just isn’t there and you could likely find someone comparable to the receivers who will be first off the board in the second and third rounds. Secondly, I really like what our secondary would look like with a guy like Rhodes added to the squad. Picture it – a physical, big-framed giant on each side, Cook and Rhodes (if Cook can stay healthy…), Antoine Winfield and Josh Robinson in the mix on occassion and the bruiser Harrison Smith lurking around in the backfield waiting to destroy someone. Doesn’t that sound awesome?! I just think the value is there at Cornerback with a guy like Rhodes, especially when this year’s draft is so deep at other defensive positions.

Xavier Rhodes could be a player who makes the Vikings secondary one to be feared for years to come in the NFC North – a division that is ripe with good quarterback play and big receivers.

If Xavier Rhodes is available when the Vikings are on the clock come April 25th (and that’s a big ‘if’ considering his stellar performance at the combine) it will be very interesting to see if the Vikings surprise people and go with the Florida State DB.

Check out the video below for some good tape on Rhodes. And feel free to leave some comments with some guys that you think would be worth looking at in our “Draft Target” series.

My First Mock – And The Vikings Select…

January 19, 2013, by 24 comments

The first mock draft of the offseason is really just a shot in the dark. There are so many unknowns at this point. Who’s actually going to declare at the draft? What will their combine performance be? What kind of scandals/off-the-field issues will take place?

But still, putting these things together are fun. It starts to familiarize everybody with a lot of the names we’ll be hearing for the new few months. It gets us acquainted with some of the opportunities the Vikings may have when they are on the clock for the first time at #23 (unless they trade up, of course). They serve as a starting point for discussion regarding what the Vikings should try and do in the draft.

All around, they’re just a good time.

By the time Adam and I put out our final drafts for 2012 though, I’d say we both did pretty good. As Adam mentioned in his mock draft, we both held strong to our belief that the Vikings would select Matt Kalil with their first pick (despite the endless amounts of rumors floating around up to the very start of the draft). We didn’t guess spot-on for a lot of teams (I had maybe 6-7?) but, for the most part, the draft panned out a lot like we thought it would.

Who knows what the Vikings are going to do this time. Picking at #23 is going to make things a lot more difficult to guess. When you are at #3 (or #4 if you trade down…) it’s a lot easier to surmise what the team is going to do. There are only two other players taken before it’s your turn. In our case this year, there are 22 players that will be taken off the board before we get our turn to select. Talk about endless possibilities.

So, let’s get to what I have in my first mock draft, shall we?

The first thing you’ll probably notice is that I have more quarterbacks being selected in the first round than most people do. In fact, I have two quarterbacks going in the top ten. (Mel Kiper doesn’t even have a quarterback going in the first round!) Sure, a lot of people are going to tell you that there is not a quarterback in this year’s draft class worth the number one pick. Or a top five pick. Or a top ten pick even. I’d agree with them looking at it objectively. But the truth is, a lot of these teams that are desperate for an answer at the quarterback position are not looking at it objectively. They’re looking at it hopefully. They are taking a chance and hoping that the guy they like will be the answer and the future for their franchise. And just like the Vikings did by selecting Christian Ponder much earlier than everybody thought, I believe there are a couple of teams that are so desperate for someone at the quarterback position, they will use their first round pick to try and find that center piece for their offense.

The second thing you’ll notice… Well, let’s just be honest. You scrolled straight to see who the Vikings selected. Okay, let’s talk about my selection for the Vikings.

Terrance Williams 2013 Draft

“With the twenty third pick of the 2013 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings select wide receiver Terrance Williams, Baylor.”

So, like Adam, I have also selected a wide receiver for the Vikings with their first pick. I have to be really up front and honest with you, I’m not really happy about the selection and was pretty torn when making it.

Here’s the deal: I think there are 4-5 receivers the Vikings could take at this spot that would almost be [hypothetically] interchangeable. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… I’m not sure that there is a true #1 receiver in this year’s draft class – a sure thing. Somebody who can start day 1 and instantly provide the Vikes with another weapon and someone who can stretch the field. The problem is that, much like the quarterback situation outlined above, I think teams are also more likely to reach on players that they think can somehow provide a spark for them offensively – the playmakers.

In the case of my mock draft, I think there are some guys the Vikings could get better value for at positions of need but we just need a wide receiver so dang bad. There are two or three defensive tackles I think would be great for the  Vikings at this spot. But, realistically, I don’t think the Vikings leave the first round without a wide receiver.

But let’s talk about Terrance Williams for a second because I don’t want to sell him short, I do like what I see from him.

Terrance Williams is a guy who, at 6’2″ and 205 pounds, plays physical and can go up and make a play on the ball. He isn’t blazing fast but he is a straight-line runner who can stretch the field and use his larger frame to overpower and shield off defenders. One of Williams biggest concerns is his route running (as he primarily ran go routes) and his tendency to try and catch the ball with his body.  Those shortcomings are coachable though and Williams has the physical traits to potentially be the type of threat the Vikings could use.

While this is the first wide receiver I have the Vikings taking in my mock draft, I do not think it will be the last. I would not be surprised if the Vikings took upwards of three wide receivers this year. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if we are looking at a radically different receiving corp in 2013. In fact, I suspect it.

Make sure to check out the scouting video of Terrance Williams below. Also, here are a couple of names I toyed with putting in that #23 spot instead of Williams:

John Jenkins, DT, Georgia
Justin Hunter, WR, Tennessee
Robert Woods, WR, USC
DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Clemson
Kawann Short, DT, Purdue
Tavon Austin, WR, West Virginia
Xavier Rhodes, CB, Florida State

Brett’s 2013 Mock Draft v1.0

The Top 5 Vikings Offseason Storylines

January 9, 2013, by 42 comments

It took about a whole two, maybe three, hours before the disappointment from getting our butts handed to us via the Green Bay Packers vanished and the excitement for the offseason completely consumed me. Free agents? The draft?! Possible trades? Veterans leaving? New talent?

I love it.

Don’t get me wrong, I was as bummed about the loss as the next hardcore Vikings fan (well, maybe not as much as this guy…) but the postseason letdown didn’t feel as bad this time. Maybe it was because deep down I knew once it was announced Christian Ponder wouldn’t be starting that we would lose the game and then the next three to four hours was just a realization of that fact. Maybe it’s because nothing could have happened in the playoffs that would take away from what an amazing season 2012 was. (And, folks, it was an amazing football season.) Who knows, really.

What I do know is that I was, and am, at peace with what the Vikings did this year and what I think they’ll do in the near future.

There’s a lot to be excited about with this team. There’s a ton to look forward to this offseason and some great stories to look out for.

Here are five of the biggest stories headed into the offseason. Stories that we will be covering in [exhausting] detail here at Vikings Territory, I’m sure. Of course, there will always be a few (maybe more) developments that catch us all by surprise. You can be sure we’ll have those, too.

(Note: These do not include general things like “the draft” or “free agency.” It’s a given those will be huge. I tried to think of specific storylines that will provide intrigue, mystery and excitement.)

5. The New Stadium

I almost didn’t include the stadium on the list because it seems that, now that we’ve got our stadium, it’s more of a “I don’t care how it happens, just get it here” type thing. But, after Adam mentioned it to me when I queried the inner-workings of his very knowledgeable Vikings mind, I started to see why it could become something we talk about frequently during the offseason.

It shouldn’t be long until we start seeing a real design for this thing.  And that will be pretty dang cool. We’ll finally get to see what this thing will look like. What features it will have. Does it have a retractable roof? Seat warmers? Does it have a mammoth monitor floating eerily above the ant-sized players a hundred or so feet below? Who knows.

It will be something tangible at that point. Something we can look at and say, “Okay. So that’s going to be where I take my children to watch my Minnesota Vikings a few years from now.” (Maybe more if you’re me).

It’s been an idea up until this point. A finalized design that we can see is a big step to it becoming a real, real reality. (A real one.)

4. Backup Quarterback Backup Plan

Christian Ponder’s late season surge (and potentially even his absence from the playoff game at Lambeau) solidified his role as the Vikings starter at quarterback next season. Head coach Leslie Frazier has even already made it public. That’s all good and fine, but it doesn’t change the fact that the Vikings still need to figure some things out at the quarterback position during the offseason.

I’m not going to torch Joe Webb too much because I honestly feel like he’s better than what he showed Saturday in Green Bay. The guy was thrown into an incredibly difficult situation under an offensive coordinator who remained steadfast in his stubborn ways and refused to adjust his game plan to increase the likelihood of success for Webb. Nevertheless, I don’t think Joe Webb is somebody who can really threaten Ponder for the starting position and light a fire under his butt, so to speak.

I think Ponder is going to be a good quarterback with a little more development. I take a lot of heat for that position but I’ve held it since he was drafted and I still hold it today. But I’ll be the first one to tell you that it is not a sure thing. He is not a sure thing. And the Vikings need to have a Plan B just in case it doesn’t pan out with #7.

Personally, I’d like Spielman and Co. to do some superb scouting and find a quarterback in the middle rounds who has a lot of upside. It’s also possible the team could just to go the free agent route. (Also, let’s not kid ourselves, it’s entirely possible the Vikings could not address it at all…)

Nevertheless, I think how the roster shapes up behind Ponder is something to keep an eye on.

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Game Day Answers to Q&A

January 5, 2013, by 10 comments

It’s game day, gentleman (and ladies). We’re about eight hours away from the start of one of biggest game the Vikings have played in quite some time. Just rolled out of bed. Got some coffee in hand. Let’s get to those questions, shall we?

Q: Everybody knows it, but why is Adrian Peterson this year’s MVP? (Malte)

Obviously, I can’t look at the debate between Peyton Manning and Adrian Peterson objectively. That being said, I do not understand the argument for Peyton Manning as MVP over Peterson. If Manning wins, it should be renamed to Most Valuable Quarterback because he is not more valuable to the Broncos than AD is to the Vikings. For one, Manning isn’t even the best quarterback in the league this year. Last time I looked over the stats for quarterbacks, I don’t remember Manning leading in a single one of them. Here’s what it comes down to: Adrian Peterson willed this team to 10 victories. He threw this team over his shoulder and carried them to seven more wins than last season running through [usually] nine defenders in the box on any given play. Especially once Percy Harvin left, Peterson was the Vikings only offensive weapon. Peyton Manning stepped onto a playoff caliber team with a great defense, great receivers and an already pretty solid foundation. Yes, he gave the team five more wins than they had last year, but I believe you put any other ‘elite’ QB in that role and Denver ends the season with the same (if not better) record. What Adrian Peterson did this season could not be done had any other running back been in his shoes. It’s that simple. That is value. Peterson deserves this award. (Alas, if I had to wager today, I would say that Manning ends up winning the dang thing.)

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Vikings at Packers Q&A

January 4, 2013, by 42 comments

I was a wreck last Sunday. Plain and simple. No doubt about it, that game against the Packers with what was at stake and Peterson’s attempt at the single season rushing record made it an instant classic.

Needless to say, this week has been difficult too. I know that the team has already exceeded everyone’s expectations and now everything else is just icing on the cake. But, I can’t get over this feeling that the Vikes can pull this thing off tomorrow. And I’m going to go out on a limb here and make a bold prediction. If the Vikings beat the Packers tomorrow we will advance to the NFC championship. There, I said it.

Today has been dragging. Tomorrow will be worse. And honestly, half the time I’m just daydreaming about the Vikings winning it all this year.
So, formulating a cohesive article right now just seems out of the question. Instead, I thought it would be fun to pretend to be everyone’s favorite Vikings blogger, Adam Warwas, and field some questions from you all.

So, let me have it. Leave your questions in the comments and I’ll respond by tomorrow morning.

Week 15 Vikings at Rams, Open Thread

December 16, 2012, by 100 comments

Happy Sunday morning, Vikings fans. No live chat today but we wanted to have an open thread to discuss the game real time. Adam and I will be around and will try to participate in the conversation.

Adam’s already made a bold prediction this morning. Check it out below:

My bold prediction? Peterson has 200+ yards and two touchdowns today. This man is on a mission. May not be as bold of a prediction, but honestly, I don’t think I could have come up with something more out there!

Here’s today’s inactives.

Vikings
QB McLeod Bethel-Thompson
CB Brandon Burton
LB Audie Cole
OL Troy Kropog
OL Mark Asper
TE Allen Reisner
DE D’Aundre Reed

Rams
QB Austin Davis
DT Matt Conrath
T Joe Barksdale
OL Chris Williams
RB Terrance Ganaway
WR Steve Smith
TE Mike McNeill

Let’s go Vikes!