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wtfvikesfan (449)On the morning of January 8th, Eden Prairie Police and Fire Departments responded to a call about a suspicious package arriving at Winter Park.
According to reports, the package contained an unknown substance and an investigation is taking place. Initial tests suggested the chemical was not hazardous, but they are still waiting for the final test results.
The Vikings played their playoff game in Green Bay just three days prior to the incident.
Well, here we are, fans of a team that nobody expected to make the playoffs. Now that they have, nobody expects the Vikings to do much in the playoffs.
Here is the best of the best from around the net:
.Three players. The undetermined futures. Three attempts at an answer.
Antoine Winfield
As readers pointed out to me last night, I was wr-wr-wr-wr-mistaken in saying that Antoine Winfield would be playing for a $3 million salary next season. Winfield played enough snaps this season to trigger an escalator for 2013, and reverse a de-escalator for 2012, and he will be owed $7.25 million if the Vikings keep him next season.
The way Winfield has been playing at age 35, there is little reason other than the salary to expect the Vikings to part ways with him, as he has arguably been as valuable as any member of this defense. Evidence of this can be seen by watching last weekend’s game and seeing the passing game of the Packers pick up after Winfield made his early exit.
All indications are that Winfield will do everything possible to play this Saturday night, and he has also reportedly has no interest in hanging up his cleats after this season. Depending on just how much longer Winfield plans on playing may determine his willingness to renegotiate a contract extension to reduce his 2013 cap number.
Percy Harvin
I got this question more than once since the Vikings qualified for the postseason, and the answer is “no,” Percy Harvin cannot be reactivated from the injured reserve and make a playoff appearance. In a new rule, teams are allowed to designate one player per season as “eligible for return” when they are placed on injured reserve, but the Vikings has already used this designation on Chris Cook prior to Harvin’s injury. Cook, of course, has since been able to return and have an impact in the last two games.
Disclaimer: The rest of this is 100% pure speculation.
Harvin suffered a ligament tear in his ankle and was placed on injured reserve on December 5th, a time when the Vikings playoff hopes looked to be all but dead. He has since had an emergency appendectomy.
What isn’t know, however, is whether or not Harvin would otherwise be healthy enough to return at some point during a playoff run if the rules allowed it. Earlier in December, there was some speculation that Harvin has once again grown disgruntled with the Vikings brass and his decision to rehab in Florida instead of Minnesota will only fuel such speculation, whether it is founded or otherwise.
I just can’t help but wonder if we will soon be getting word from Harvin, via Twitter of course, that he feels healthy enough to play football and wishes he were on the field.
This type of development would prove that Harvin is not happy with the Vikings, but also divide a fan base with half of them wondering if Leslie Frazier and Rick Spielman prematurely ending his season was a huge blunder. After all, guys like defensive end George Johnson, who found a roster spot thanks to Harvin’s absence, haven’t exactly had a huge impact at the bottom of the roster. A guy like Harvin could potentially be a game changer at any point in any game.
His future with the team remains a mystery, but I expect we’ll be hearing much more very soon.
Jerome Simpson
A troubled receiver receives a prove-it deal in Minnesota. Said receiver proceeds to get himself constantly hurt and underperform greatly. If that wasn’t enough to guarantee his ticket out of town following the season, then calling one of the local media’s most respected beat writers a “douchebag” ought to do the trick.
Tom Pelissero of 1500 ESPN said that on Tuesday Jerome Simpson, for unknown reasons, called him a douchebag and that Leslie Frazier later called the reporter to apologize for his receiver’s words.
Now, I don’t know Pelissero personally, but I have spoken with him on a couple of occasions and interacted with him plenty and would not characterize him as anything other than honest, opinionated, and hard working.
I don’t know the whole story, but I am guessing that if Frazier is anything like any boss I have ever had, having to call and apologize for one of his employee’s actions will not sit well with him.
What can I say, this is awesome! A year removed from a three win season, the Minnesota Vikings are in the playoffs, while Detroit and Chicago are seeing heads roll. Like I said, this is awesome!
I have been unable to think of a specific “format” to follow this week when it comes to writing on this site, so to kick things off I want to just offer up a few observations pertaining to last week’s victory over Green Bay and this week’s trip to Green Bay.
Here we go:
Was That Progress We Saw?
I am certain that any evaluators with complicated analysis and formulas for grading players will be giving Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder his highest marks of his career for his latest performance. Ponder was 16 of 28 for 234 yards and three touchdowns, posting a career high passer rating of 120.2. Most importantly, he did not turn the ball over at all and completed some crucial third down passes that kept Adrian Peterson on the field, and Aaron Rodgers off of it.
Some Negative Nellies out there (i.e. Me) might be quick to point out that Ponder had some luck aid his efforts and also made a number of questionable throws, but there is no denying that what we saw on Sunday was progress, or at the very least something that looked like progress.
For the sake of starting the new year on positive notes I will not point out the negatives and instead focus on what I thought was Ponder’s best throw of the season. The fourth quarter bomb to Jarius Wright, that went for 45 yards and set up a touchdown, was a work of art. So far this season, I have not seen Ponder confidently stand in the pocket and step into a throw the way he did on that one.
As most of you reading this know, I am not a 100% sold on this kid, but at the same time it is obvious he isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. So, it only stands to reason, us fans should be thrilled to witness the progress we did at the most opportune time possible.
Now we get to include post season play in Ponder’s evaluation, which can only be viewed as a bonus when this team is forced to move on with self-evaluation.
Imagine The Possibilities
I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself here, but I want to say this anyways: If there is one team in these playoffs I feel the Vikings matchup great against it is the Atlanta Falcons.
Why do I bring that up?
Well, if the Vikings manage to come out of Saturday’s game as victors; their reward will be a trip to Atlanta to take on the Falcons. In that case, I would strongly predict a win because I feel that strongly about the matchup.
I’m not saying it would be easy, but what I am trying to say here is that it is not inconceivable to me that this team could indeed end up playing in the NFC Championship Game.
A Matter Of Exploitation
Green Bay may not employ all of the same strategies in the upcoming game that they did on Sunday, but if it was pretty obvious what they tried to do to the Vikings… exploit their weaknesses.
The Packers picked on A.J. Jefferson as the weakest link in the secondary. Once Antoine Winfield had to leave due to pain in his broken hand, it was reserve cornerback Marcus Sherels that was viciously targeted. As a result, Aaron Rodgers completed 70% of his passes for 365 yards and four touchdowns. It worked, but just not well enough.
On defense, the Packers schemed to have monster nose tackle B.J. Raji bull rush on obvious running downs and ensured he was lined up against Brandon Fusco, the Vikings weakest link along the offensive line. Raji was consistently getting penetration and made a number of big stops as a result. It worked, but just not well enough.
The health of certain players, particularly Winfield, will be of great importance as the Wild Card weekend draws nearer.
Special Teams Worries
Jeremy Ross has been unable to beat out Randall Cobb as the primary return man in Green Bay, but Cobb’s injury that forced him out of the week 17 lineup gave Ross an opportunity and he took full advantage of it.
Ross averaged 28 yards on three kick returns, including a 44 yarder that he nearly took to the house. He also averaged a whopping 20 yards on two punt returns. Ross is essentially the only return man to shred yardage out of the otherwise stout coverage unit of the Vikings this season.
While the rest of the team is getting hot, however, it was worrisome to see the coverage unit struggle so much heading into the playoffs. The importance of special teams cannot be underestimated, especially for a team that really needs all three phases of the game to be in synch in order to continue their winning streak.
Leslie Frazier Deserves No Small Amount Of Credit
Before the Vikings pay anyone on this roster, Zygi Wilf and Rick Spielman really need to get Leslie Frazier’s contract extended well into the future.
He has handled so many situations with grace, grace that kept things from becoming a media circus, that I just think he is a huge breath of fresh air after the Childress era.
If Frazier has really been able to successfully mentor Everson Griffen, Chris Cook, and Jerome Felton into men of character, after they each made serious off field transgressions, then their success this season (of which there has been plenty) should be directly attributed to his abilities as a head coach.
If Christian Ponder is really going to become the franchise quarterback that flashed last Sunday, then his devotion during the trying times of November should be reciprocated from above.
If Adrian Peterson’s incredible season can ever possibly be duplicated or improved upon in the future, then why not stick with the guy that oversaw the action this season?
If so many rookies can be coached up and produce in such a big way, like they have this season, then why would you want to leave that coaching staff in any sort of limbo state?
It is time for Frazier to be rewarded. Actually, scratch that, it was time for him to be rewarded four wins ago.
Back in April The Sporting News decided to dig into the past and expose some not-so-flattering stories about Percy Harvin, Urban Meyer, and the Florida program in general. Their findings illuminated Harvin as an entitled young man with a short temper.
At the time, the piece had the feel of a hit job of sorts, and many questioned the odd timing of this information coming out.
With a recent report from 1500 ESPN describing yet another confrontation between the uber-talented receiver and his current coach, Harvin’s status as a Viking is yet again being called into question.
Reports of the past have included throwing a college coach on the ground and putting hands around his neck, testing positive for marijuana prior to the NFL Scouting Combine, throwing a weight at former head coach Brad Childress, and requesting a trade prior to this season before performing a sudden about-face. That list would be enough to call any player unreliable, and we haven’t even started talking about his long list of injury and health issues.
Some Vikings fans are going to want to bury memories of Randy Moss departing Minnesota (twice) in their subconscious and assume the Vikings will “pay the man” and that Harvin will get a deal that makes him a Viking for life.
The phrase “where there is smoke there is fire” comes to mind, however. And the player that has earned the nickname “Cheech” in this corner of the internet seems to always be surrounded by plenty of smoke.
Still, lots of options exist for how this could play out and I want to take a second to look at each one (and there could be more) in great detail.
Pay The Man
The Vikings may never be certain that they have made Harvin permanently happy in Minnesota, but they can always try and then hope for the best, and the best way to do that is by getting out the checkbook.
Entering the final year of his rookie deal Harvin is set to make a paltry $1.55 million in 2013. Considering the impact he can have on a football game, and his particular need for long term financial security as an injury prone player, it isn’t surprising that Harvin would be willing to go to battle against the Vikings front office in an effort to get guaranteed money.
The question facing the Vikings will be just how much money they are willing to pay their 24 year old game changer. Agent Joel Segal has been known to milk team’s for all they are worth in regards to his top clients. Evidence in this can be found in the contracts for Michael Vick (6 years, $100 million), Chris Johnson (6 year, $55 million), and DeAngelo Hall (6 year, $55 million).
More specifically, Segal raided plenty of coffers with receivers of lesser talent than Harvin which include Josh Morgan (2 years, $11.5 million), Marques Colston (5 years, $36.3 million), and Pierre Garcon (5 years, $42.5 million). Each of these contracts came with considerable, to say the least, guarantees.
He’s been at it for a long time, too, and in 1999 he made Antonio Freeman the highest paid receiver in NFL history with a seven year deal worth $42 million.
I suspect Harvin, on a five year deal, would demand somewhere in the neighborhood of $55 million with about $25 million guaranteed. That is a hefty price indeed, but one the Vikings might have to pay if they don’t want to reduce their receiver group down to absolutely nothing, a possibility that both Harvin and his agent are well aware of.
The thing to keep in mind about taking on that big of a cap hit for Harvin is that there really is no team in the NFL that can, or does, pay two big money receivers. With the Vikings obviously needing help at the position, a blockbuster contract for Harvin would be quite the commitment to him and an acceptance that any other real help is going to have to come in the NFL Draft or in the form of low-cost free agent fliers.
With Rick Spielman’s first season as the official General Manager of the Minnesota Vikings nearing it’s end (no, I don’t necessarily mean two weeks from now) I wanted to take a look back at the moves that were made to help boost the Vikings from a three win season to an eight (or nine, or ten) win record the next year.
I want to start with the oft-criticized free agent class that he brought in. The Vikings have really only had five free agent signings to see action this year, not including their own re-signings, so let’s take a look at what each on brought to the table.
TE JOHN CARLSON: The $25 million contract signed by John Carlson became the butt of many jokes even before he played in his first game. His production on the field hasn’t helped matters. A sprained MCL caused him to miss to two games after missing all of his final season with the Seahawks, and it has been speculated that injuries have plagued his production on the field even when he was present. His 11 catches for 60 yards on the season will surely end in his worst stats, other than the season he didn’t play, since he joined the league. He has also yet to find the end zone as a Viking. His solid blocking skills have gone mostly unnoticed by fans, but there are plenty of decent blocking tight ends in this league getting paid far less than Carlson.
Last week’s three reception performance was Carlson’s best of the year and he needs to continue to improve over the next two weeks if he plans on continuing to earn such lucrative salary. At age 28, there is still some untapped potential there for a guy that has never come close to matching the expectations that scouts had for him in 2008.
GRADE: D
FB JEROME FELTON: Felton got off to a bad start in Minnesota when he was nabbed for a second degree DWI in a McDonald’s drive-thru in June. After that incident, one that he says he learned a huge lesson from, Felton has been instrumental in Adrian Peterson’s record-setting rushing numbers this season.
Peterson hasn’t had as good of chemistry with as talented of a lead blocker since his rookie season when he ran behind Tony Richardson
Felton signed a one year deal worth $700,000 with a $50,000 signing bonus. I would say the Vikings should be willing to offer him about twice that annual salary to return for the next year or five.
GRADE: A
OL GEOFF SCHWARTZ: After signing a one year deal that maxes out at $1.5 million, Geoff Schwartz has been eased into a rotation at right guard with Brandon Fusco. By most accounts, including mine, Schwartz has outplayed Fusco but has yet to overtake the position on a full time basis for some unknown reason. At a backup lineman’s salary, Schwartz has helped his team more than most backups in this league, and turned out to be a low-risk, medium-reward type of signing, despite nagging injury concerns.
GRADE: C
LB MARVIN MITCHELL: Another one year deal worth $700,000 here. Mitchell was signed shortly after Remi Ayodele was released by the Vikings, despite Mitchell’s presence on the 2009 “BountyGate” Saints team as well. He acted as a “Plan B” to Jasper Brinkley and provided great competition in the preseason, but Brinkley kept his job and has performed rather well in his first year as a full time starter.
A calf injury interrupted part of Mitchell’s season, as he has appeared in only nine games, but he has made a considerable impact on a special teams coverage unit that is greatly improved over last season.
GRADE: B
WR JEROME SIMPSON: The Vikings flirted with signing Packers free agent James Jones but shied away from the receiver because they were worried about his inconsistent hands, and instead opted to sign the suspended Simpson from Cincinnati.
Jones has done nothing but catch touchdowns for the Packers this year, his drop problems apparently solved, while Simpson has been incredibly inconsistent… when he manages to make it onto the field. A three game suspension and injuries have kept Simpson out of four games this season, and bad drops and inconsistent routes have essentially kept him out of the other 10.
19 catches, 203 yards, and no touchdowns are stats that easily illustrate how wrong things have gone for the Vikings deep threat hopeful in 2012.
Spielman left legitimate receiver threats on the market for other teams to scoop up and instead opted to go short term and cheap with Simpson. The risk was low, but the return has been even lower.
GRADE: D
CONCLUSION: Rick Spielman tortured Vikings fans by staying idle during the opening days of free agency in 2012, and has indicated we can expect more of that in the future, as he intends on playing a game of chance with these low risk and low cost signings available after all the funny money has been spent.
Carlson was his lone departure from that formula, and the jury may still be out on that one, but it isn’t looking good. Luckily, the contract wasn’t quite as bad as initially reported and the Vikings could cut ties with minimal cap damage should they choose to move on.
Overall, Spielman’s approach to free agency led to adding one fantastic fullback, and a handful of otherwise disposable talents.
Not bad, not horrible, but not great. That about sums up Spielman’s first free agency period as Vikings General Manager.
When Percy Harvin suffered an ankle injury on November fourth it was the third quarter of a game taking place in Seattle.
Despite the ugly nature of the hit to his ankle, and the obvious pain he was in, the Vikings coaching staff allowed Harvin to re-enter the game and play on. That decision can possibly be added to the list of questionable ones being compiled by those that would like to see Leslie Frazier and his staff gone for good.
Harvin reportedly suffered a grade three sprain, which means a ligament actually tore, and the team held his roster spot for him hoping he would recover in the four to six week timeframe expected of these injuries. Each week, however, Frazier strung along the media (and fans) making it seem like Harvin could actually suit up the following game.
As recently as yesterday, Frazier expressed some optimism that Harvin would be able to do some things in practice that would indicate that he might be available to face the Bears on Sunday.
Instead, news broke late in the day on Wednesday that Harvin would be placed on Injured Reserve, prematurely ending his 2012 campaign that had him in the MVP conversation early on.
The news is grim for everyone that enjoys seeing Harvin play, but it perhaps hits quarterback Christian Ponder and his 32nd ranked passing offense the hardest.
As a receiver, Harvin caught 66 passes for 677 yards through nine games, which both still lead the Vikings. In fact, through 12 games all of the Vikings wide receivers combined have accounted for only 68 catches and 809 yards. His three touchdowns as a receiver match that of all the others combined, as well.
Plus, those stats don’t even begin to measure the full impact could have on a game as a running back and as a return man. His ability to pick up yards, scare opposing coaches, and set the Vikings up with excellent field position has been sorely missed in his absence and that will surely continue.
Another thing that bothers me (and quite possibly only me) is that Harvin’s ankle injury occurred on a run play. Now, I don’t mind mixing it up and getting creative with how you use a talent like Harvin, but I have been harping on something all year long and this now gives me the chance to use hindsight to hammer a point home.
Why sacrifice a third round draft pick to trade up a handful of spots in the second round of the Draft to “steal” a running back like Toby Gerhart if you aren’t going to use the guy?
Through 12 games the Stanford product has only touched the ball 33 times. After a rough game against San Francisco in week three, Gerhart has seen his role diminish to almost nothing, averaging less than one carry per game over the last seven weeks.
For as creative as the Vikings are in their use of Harvin, and as forgiving of disastrous performances as they are with Ponder, you would think they could find a better way to utilize the backup running back for which they invested so much to acquire. It isn’t like they didn’t know how dangerously thin they were at wide receiver and that Harvin’s industrial-sized work made him an even bigger injury risk than he normally is.
After an amazing half of a season, however, one of our last images of Harvin’s 2012 season will be him yelling at Frazier on the sideline out of frustration for a series of red zone calls that resulted in a Blair Walsh field goal.
That spat on the sideline sets up perfectly what will surely be a drama-filled offseason for Harvin and the Vikings, previewed last offseason over a brief period of time, as Harvin and the Vikings could very well end up in a stalemate over his contract status.
2013 is set to be the final year of his contract and he is expected to make only about $1.55 million. Harvin has been rumored to consider 2012 a “contract year,” however, and it is obvious that things could get very ugly very fast if a contract extension cannot be worked out.
And it may not be easy.
Harvin, like many fans, probably views himself as one of the top offensive threats in the NFL. His agent Joel Segal probably does little to temper Harvin’s expectations of big money, as he is known for getting incredibly robust contracts in place for lesser talents than Harvin, and I would not be shocked to see him demanding top dollar at the negotiating table.
Meanwhile, the Vikings have on their hands a temperamental player that came out of college proceeded by stories of his entitled attitude, and that even once hurled a weight at head coach Brad Childress in the training facility. Oh, and while he had only ever missed three games prior to this injury, he also seems to be a weekly mainstay on the injury report.
Going to the internet and browsing Harvin’s highlight reels will make you think paying the man is a no-brainer, but I just have a hunch the decision will not be such an easy one inside Winter Park this offseason.
Get ready for a Harvin-filled offseason, folks.
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