Late last night, I hesitantly posted a rumor about Chris Cook’s choice to “celebrate” his acquittal by visiting the strip club in which it all began. I decided to do so, but also made it clear that it was a rumor only and I am glad I did.
Why?
Because those actions would fly in the face of what Cook said after his court hearing Thursday, so the rumor couldn’t possibly be true (slight sarcasm).
“I got a job to do. I missed 10 games. I got to make up for that,” Cook said outside the courtroom following his acquittal.
“I know it might take some time to earn the trust of the organization and the fans, but I’m willing to do whatever it takes,” he continued.
Cook described the ongoing legal matters as an “emotional rollercoaster” and it appears the Vikings will welcome him back soon, and probably insert the 25 year old into the starting lineup.
If, that is, he doesn’t get in trouble between now and then.
With the ninth pick of the NFL Draft, our Community Mock Draft sees the Carolina Panthers select defensive tackle Michael Brockers.
Next up is the tenth pick, which belongs to the Buffalo Bills (now owned by Mario Williams) and you never know what they are going to do.
We’ve had some trouble getting you all to leave comments of “analysis” for you picks to display on our results page. Please, please, please leave some analysis for why you made the pick you did and we could use it in the mock. Heck, if you want, leave us some analysis for the picks that have no analysis and I will add it retroactively.
It appears that the Vikings decision to retain cornerback Chris Cook following allegations of assault and strangulation may be netting the result they were looking for.
After being acquitted of all charges on Thursday, NFL spokesperson Greg Aiello said, “We will review the facts, but we do not expect league discipline in this matter.”
Despite Cook’s lack of guilt, the NFL could have (and still can) suspended Cook for having two legal matters in his two NFL offseasons. Ben Roethlisberger was never found guilty by any jury, either, but they still suspended him following a series of disturbing allegations.
It appears that Cook will indeed be allowed back to Winter Park without further incident, however, and that means he is a likely starter come week one of the 2012 season.
The Vikings seem to hope that they can still salvage Cook as both a quality human being and a quality football player, and there is legitimate reason to believe that Leslie Frazier’s mentoring will work out better for both the team and the player as opposed to just cutting him loose. Still, these incidents are something the Vikings will not be eager to again invest time and money into, so Cook better stay out of trouble from this point forward.
The Vikings have already invested a lot into Cook, including their 2010 second round draft choice, and they have yet to receive much return on that investment.
Cook has played in only 12 games in his two seasons, six of which were starts, and has yet to produce an interception. He has netted 41 tackles, six defended passes, and that’s about it.
That is not very much production for a guy that is already half way through his rookie contract.
It has become clear that your average Vikings fan is frustrated with how Rick Spielman has conducted himself in the first 30 hours of so in free agency this offseason, which is his first as General Manager of the Vikings.
Wednesday, however, Spielman explained the team’s approach and strategy while urging the fan base to be patient.
“We’re going to be patient with this,” Spielman said. “We’re going to strike when we feel there’s a player out there that can help us win ballgames. The ownership has always given us the financial backing we need to go get players if we need to get them. But we’re also going to be very patient and prudent as we go through this.”
“I know plenty of our needs are going to be filled through the draft, but we are not done yet,” he continued. “We are still looking at (unrestricted free agents) as we go along in this process, and we’ll continue to monitor that. There may be a couple guys coming in (for visits) over the next couple of weeks. We’ll continue to add players as we see fit.”
The media pressed Spielman on his conservative approach to free agency.
“I don’t think we’re a player or two away to go out and say you’re going to spend the money that’s being spent on all those players that have gotten contracts early,” he said. “I think what we’re trying to do, again, is find some players that we think are going to be able to help us win ballgames that are going to contribute and then continually to build this through the draft and keep our draft picks and potentially add more draft picks and keep our roster competitive year in and year out that way.”
Spielman called tight end John Carlson a playmaker while revealing plans to move Letroy Guion to nose tackle, which gives you an idea as to what the thinking was behind those two signings.
Additionally, the Vikings are monitoring the status of Erin and E.J. Henderson, but there is very little urgency surrounding the linebacker position at this point. As of this posting, not a single 4-3 outside linebacker has signed with a new team, and only a couple low-level middle linebackers are off the market. Options are still there in this regard, and Spielman may have been wise in waiting for the big money to fly around and get some reasonable contract offers to these guys.
Overall, “patience” seems to be the word of the day.
Once upon a time, I would get ridiculed on an annual basis for drafting Seahawks tight end John Carlson about four rounds too early in my fantasy league. I would get laughed out of the room, in fact.
“Quit it, you guys,” I would whine. “He’s got the potential and skill set to be the best tight end in the NFL, mark my words.”
Umm, yeah… he was usually on the waiver wires by week six.
Now, Rick Spielman finds himself on the defensive as a result of a very similar move, except the stakes are much higher.
News is spreading the Vikings have signed Carlson to a five year deal worth $25 million, with $11 million of that being guaranteed. The move will put former Notre Dame stars Carlson and Kyle Rudolph atop the tight end depth chart in Minnesota for years to come.
A Minnesota native, Carlson was selected 38th overall by the Seahawks in 2008. He got off to a good start, playing in all 16 games of his rookie season and catching 55 passes for 627 yards and five scores.
In his second season, he started all 16 games and caught 51 passes for 574 yards and seven touchdowns. In 2010, the poor condition of Seattle’s offensive line meant Carlson spent a lot more time being a blocker in the offense, and his production dipped down to 31 catches, 318 yards, and only one score.
In 2011, Carlson missed the entire season due to a torn labrum.
Now, as you can tell from the opening paragraphs of this article, I think Carlson has the potential to be a star and I went so far as to single him out in my Offseason Preview of the tight ends. However, I concluded that segment with the following warning:
“I think patience will have to be key here. The Vikings cannot panic and overpay or reach on a Draft choice to fill their needs at tight end.
Building around Rudolph should involve nabbing a few players that present the team with low cost. They cannot panic and offer a ton of money to Shiancoe. They cannot panic and overpay a free agent. They cannot panic and reach on a guy in the Draft.”
Some might view this signing as Rick Spielman panicking and overpaying, while others might view this signing as Spielman targeting the guy he coveted and making sure he got his guy, but I don’t think anyone envisioned this type of deal for Carlson. In fact, the rumor mill suggests that Carlson was so blown away by the offer that he cancelled a trip to Kansas City and rerouted himself to Winter Park.
The Vikings obviously have placed an emphasis on finding the players that will best fit Bill Musgrave’s offensive vision, which includes a lot of two tight end sets, as they have invested one high draft pick and plenty of money into the position in the last two offseasons. So, while the Vikings are very high on second year player Kyle Rudolph, don’t think of Carlson as a true backup player just yet, he will probably see a lot of action.
Carlson is often referred to as a poor blocker, but he was called upon to block quite a bit in Seattle and seemingly improved in this area, and his pass catching skills are fairly elite. Christian Ponder should benefit from having one more solid pass catcher in his arsenal, and also a fairly dependable blocker when needed. Also, Carlson is 27 years old, which is a full four years younger than Visanthe Shiancoe.
I don’t agree with those that think the Vikings didn’t have a need at the tight end position. I don’t agree with those that think Carlson is a terrible player.
As far as whether or not they overpaid to obtain Carlson, however, I am on the fence. A lot will depend on how the contract is structured and whether or not he can finally live up to the expectations that followed him from Notre Dame.
I will put it this way though: I’m still not drafting him in my fantasy league this year.
The first day of free agency has come and gone and the Vikings (supposed) lack of activity has left many fans in an all-out panic. While a few teams around the league went on a spending spree and snatched up the big name players, the Vikings choose to pass and not sign anyone on the first day. Like many of you, I was a little disappointed. But it wasn’t disappointment caused by the fact that I feel the team messed up or is making the wrong decisions. Instead, it was more of a selfish disappointment. That feeling as a child when you wake up on Christmas morning and don’t necessarily have what you think you should have under the Christmas tree. When you didn’t get the monster truck you were dying for and, instead, received money bonds from your Great Aunt Betty. You don’t appreciate the bond…The bonds take time. You want the immediate gratification of having that monster truck – of signing Vincent Jackson. You want something now.
Day eight of our Community Mock Draft saw the Dolphins select quarterback Ryan Tannehill, which obviously is a pick that stands to be inaccurate if they win the Peyton Manning sweepstakes.
Still, we must forge on.
Up next are the Carolina Panthers. Please your vote and leave your analysis in the comments section.
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