Opinion

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.

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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.

Leslie Frazier Pads My Ego

February 24, 2012, by 4 comments

At the NFL Scouting Combine on Friday, Leslie Frazier talked with the media about a number of subjects, two of which I have taken recent interest in and discussed in articles.

The first has to do with how the Vikings plan to use dynamic playmaker Joe Webb from here on out.  On Tuesday I penned an item over at Grant’s Tomb in which I laid out a plan that boiled down to three basic steps:

  1. Give up on Webb as a wide out.
  2. Minimize his other duties such as the “Blazer” package.
  3. Let him settle in and focus on being a backup quarterback.

On Friday, Leslie Frazier broke down his thoughts on how Webb should be used in the future and it looked a little like this:

  1. Give up on Webb as a wide out.
  2. Minimize his other duties such as the “Blazer” package.
  3. Let him settle in and focus on being a backup quarterback.

Okay, had to toot my horn a little bit there, sorry about that.

“We’ve talked about that as the season ended, and we’ve kind of settled on Joe being in that quarterback role,” Frazier said. “Although he can do a lot of different things, we really want to see him develop at the quarterback position. We’re leaning, as we speak today, moving away from some of those other things he’s capable of doing.”

Also, back in December when the Minnesota media was already writing Cedric Griffin’s obituary, I argued that the Vikings would not be so quick to jettison the cornerback and I reiterated those thoughts in my recent preview of the position.

On Friday, Frazier expressed optimism that Griffin could finally put his ACL injuries behind him in 2012 and return to form.  He cited Griffin’s good performances in the final two games of the season as a sign of things to come.

“He was coming off a major knee surgery a year ago, and sometimes guys need a year under their belt before they can really get back to (production) they had before,” Frazier said. “It remains to be seen if he’s one of those guys.”

It sounds like Frazier might be willing to give Griffin another shot, but it remains to be seen if Rick Spielman agrees.  It is thought that the Vikings have internally discussed both a restructured contract for Griffin and also the possibility of moving him to safety.

Spielman Talks About Winfield’s Future

February 24, 2012, by No comments yet

Rick Spielman has done a great job of being one hundred percent non-committal on about every single subject this offseason.  Thursday, he did such a good job of this that he even managed to become non-committal about something that the team had previously been pretty definitive about.

The Vikings have numerous troubles at the cornerback position, so I am surprised that this is the year that Spielman is willing to acknowledge the idea of moving Antoine Winfield to safety.

 “We’ve talked about that a little bit,” Spielman said. “But we still feel that he has the quickness and effective style to be an effective ‘nick’ (nickel cornerback) as well. Antoine has been a very smart player and been a great player for us since he’s come in. But also you have the age concerns a little bit and the durability concerns – which is normal for a player his age.”

“He was playing good outside last year, but I just think as a guy gets older, his roles change,” Spielman said. “Antoine is still an excellent football player. What that role is has yet to be determined. That’s what the coaches do.”

In January, Antoine Winfield made it very clear that he has no interest in moving to safety.  I, personally, think it would be a mistake to move him away from where he has proven to be most productive, the nickel position.

Still, the fact that a Vikings official is publicly discussing the idea makes it seem like a slight possibility.

Return Of The Links Of The Week

February 21, 2012, by No comments yet

There are some periods in the NFL calendar that are so slow that a “Links of the Week” feature just doesn’t work so well.  With the NFL Scouting Combine starting Wednesday, free agency less than a month away, and the NFL Draft now two months away… that time is over.  I’m glad to announce the Links of the Week are making a comeback!  Enjoy.

  • I’ve been cheating on you with another blog.  Read what I recently wrote about Joe Webb.
  • The Vikings have reportedly struck a deal to play at TCF Bank Stadium while their new stadium is under construction.
  • We know at least one Minneapolis Council Member won’t be voting for a new Vikings stadium paid for with public funds.
  • Minnesota hasn’t hosted a Super Bowl in over 20 years.  A new stadium could change that.
  • Adrian Peterson can help you land an NBA All Star weekend… fully loaded.
  • Interesting article about the NFC North singles out Greenway as a negative, but Erin Henderson and John Sullivan as positives.
  • Even the most cynic amongst us has to admit this looks like a tough Draft for the Vikings to screw up.
  • Adrian Peterson reveals the reason he considered changing his jersey number, and the dollar amount that made him drop the idea.
  • Some rumors of a nose tackle the Vikes are interested in, and a schedule for the Combine.
  • Some excellent nitty-gritty details on the Vikings salary situations, including interesting details on Joe Bergers contract.
  • A scouting report that pegs Brandon Carr as a solid fit for the Vikings.
  • Alan Page reflects on his life in honor of Black History Month.
  • Charlie Johnson was on the wrong end of a lot of criticism last season.  You can’t criticize his durability, though.
  • And now, here it is, your moment of Zen:

OFFSEASON PREVIEW: The Corners

February 19, 2012, by 8 comments
Calvin Johnson, Chris Cook

[NOTE FROM ADAM:  This is another installation of my position-by-position breakdown of the Vikings offseason.  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, and The Linebackers.]

Injuries.  Legal troubles.  Age.  Confidence.  Salary Cap numbers.  Talent.

These are all issues facing the various members of this Vikings secondary, which is why fans would just assume the team clean the slate, fire them all, and start over.

While the changes might be drastic, they probably won’t be that drastic, but things could get very interesting, especially within this group of cornerbacks that each come with their own dramatic storylines.

Let’s take a closer look.

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