It’s a cliche to say it, but the truth is that is what we root so hard for every Sunday, and all offseason long we scour the internet for any bit of information that might tell us who will be wearing it next season.
Ever since free agency was born unto the National Football League, the meaning of “family” has gone by the wayside and loyalty is certainly a thing of the past in almost every instance. There have been a lot of reminder of this over the last couple of weeks.
The Vikings traded one of their most successful first round selections, Percy Harvin, to the Seattle Seahawks for a number of reasons that seem to all be business related for both player and team. Then, we learned that long time cornerback Antoine Winfield was abruptly kicked to the curb due to a high salary and an increasing age.
Now, the Vikings stole away yet another life long Green Bay Packer in wide out Greg Jennings, which is the football equivalent of William Wallace joining the British in battle. This is yet another example of loyalties meaning far more to the spectators than it does to the players or organizations.
Now, I’m not blaming the players. If Winfield’s situation taught us anything it’s that players owe it to themselves to take advantage of their premier skills in what sill be a truncated career before their organization deems them expendable. I also don’t blame an organization for wanting to part ways with a player as it is their job to field the best possible team that gives them and their fans the best chance at a Super Bowl.
It has been so long since the Vikings have had a top flight receiver on the roster, a traditional number one receiver anyways, that Vikings fans didn’t seem to mind in the slightest that Greg Jennings is a lifelong Packer.
Still, he is putting in some effort to make sure he is a popular guy.
Jennings appeared on KFAN Radio this morning with Paul Allen and really opened up about a number of topics with equal portions of honesty and tact that made for a really impressive interview.
He immediately scored some points by attaching himself to the last Packer that gave Minnesota a legitimate shot at a Super Bowl, Brett Favre.
“Literally, as I got off the plane and (offensive coordinator Bill) Musgrave walked up to me, I’m on the phone with Brett,” Jennings said as transcribed by Viking Update. “I spoke with Brett two or three times throughout this process. He shot me straight. I knew if there was one person that would shoot straight and tell me exactly what I wanted to hear and things I possibly didn’t want to hear, it would be Brett. He did that for me.”
The organization has undergone a face lift since Favre was last on the roster, but many key components still exist, and most of you know I don’t care for the guy but it is still encouraging to hear that a veteran NFL player was willing to give his endorsement of the organization to another player and friend. Those types of things can prove useful during times like free agency.
Unlike Percy Harvin, who actively seemed to avoid the topic of quarterback Christian Ponder, Jennings went out of his way to paint a bright future for his new quarterback with a positiveness that is sure to have the Vikings P.R. Department sharing a bottle of champagne tonight.
[Note: Want to see a list of every player featured in our "Draft Target" segment? Click here to visit the Offseason Tracker where there will be a list of all these players. Check back often as there are plenty more to come!]
With the fee agency flurry leaving the Vikings roster somewhat shaken up there is one glaring need that sticks out above the rest at this moment. Sure, cornerback and wide receiver need to be a point of emphasis. Defensive tackle could still use some work. There is one need, however, that seems quite a bit more desperate than the others.
Jasper Brinkley has signed with Arizona while Marvin Mitchell remains a free agent. That means the position is virtually unfilled at this point and could potentially be a first round priority during the NFL Draft.
So far, Manti Te’o is the only other middle linebacker we have profiled in this series, but we will certainly be filling you in on plenty of other prospects at the position prior to Draft Weekend. Today, I want to take a look at LSU middle linebacker Kevin Minter, who many Vikings fans have on their wish list for April.
Minter became a starter at LSU in 2011 after his predecessor, Kelvin Sheppard, was drafted in the third round. His first season was pretty pedestrian, really, as he started 11 of 14 games to rack up 61 tackles. Of those, 3.5 were for a loss, he had one sack, a forced fumble, and one fumble recovery for a touchdown. In 2011, Minter was barely a guy one noticed on the star studded LSU defense that included Morris Claiborne and a handful of guys that could easily be drafted ahead of him this year.
In 2012, that all changed as Minter not only became noticeable within the LSU defense, he was named LSU’s Most Valuable Player and seemed like he was All-Everything following the season. He was certainly more productive, having started all 13 games and notching 130 tackles, 15 for a loss, four sacks, a forced fumble, five defended passes, and an interception. He still had considerable talent around him, but he seemed to be elevating their play this season, not the other way around.
Minter measured into the NFL’s Scouting Combine at 6′ 0″ and 246 pounds. He didn’t exactly tear it up with his 4.81 second forty yard dash or his 25 bench press reps, but he looked to be the same guy you saw on tape, for better and for worse.
He looks to be a very intelligent football player who sniffs out screens, shows great diagnostic abilities, and solid gap discipline. Combine that with a knack for getting around, or through, blockers and you have a Mike backer that just always seems to be in the right place at the right time on running plays.
Minter is a very good run defender and would instantly make things tough on opposing running backs looking to stay between the tackles. He is an excellent tackler, perhaps the best in this Draft class, and is going to add a lot of consistency in the middle to the team that drafts him. The ability to crush a ball carrier, however, might be his best attribute when it comes to defending the pass.
I don’t mean to say that Minter is a completely inept pass defender (he isn’t), but my game plan as a coach certainly wouldn’t revolve around matching him up against a guy like Vernon Davis or Rob Gronkowski. In fact, my game plan would try to make sure that happened as little as possible.
He’s a big man that plays big, but he is also of moderate speed and it shows in coverage. He is a plodder that can look awkward trying to shadow a running back or provide zone coverage of a slot receiver He is, in a lot of ways, a lot like what we saw out of Jasper Brinkley during the 2012 season as far as coverage goes. He is going to struggle sticking with just about any various type of route runner, but will occasionally be able to deliver a jarring hit after the catch.
Minter is already a grade “A” run stopper, and could continue to develop his pass defending via some good coaching, and is a capable blitzer. He possesses the physical skills to be a middle linebacker in the 4-3 scheme and makes enough big plays to make him very intriguing.
I do think that he is best suited for the 4-3 and that scouts will recognize this. This might limit the number of teams that place him higher up on their draft boards. The NFL Advisory committee reportedly gave him a third round grade when he was deciding whether or not to stay at LSU for another year. Many draftniks have him grading out as a late first round talent, however.
I worry greatly that the Vikings will burn one of their first round picks on a two down linebacker, and I worry that Minter will be a two down linebacker throughout his NFL career. Thus, I can’t say that I would be real supportive of them taking him at 23 or 25. However, he has a skill set that is attractive enough, and if they can trade back a bit, or if he is somehow still on the board in the second round when they are on the clock, then I think he could represent a solid addition to the middle of the Vikings defense.
There is some speculation out there that the Greg Jennings signing caused the Vikings to max out their credit card, from a salary cap standpoint, and will be done spending in free agents. While it seems likely the Vikings are close to the spending threshold, we do not yet know what Greg Jennings’ cap hit will be, and there could be more restructuring or releases in the near future that give the Vikings some flexibility.
So, let’s assume for a minute that the Vikings end up having some money left to spend, but not enough to go shopping for big names. Who could they target at what positions? Here are seven guys I think could be great bargains at this point in the offseason:
Larry Grant, LB, 49ers: Signing Jennings gave the Vikings some flexibility when it comes to their first round draft picks. Signing a guy like Grant, who filled in well for an injured Patrick Willis in 2011, could provide them similar flexibility as it now assumed the Vikings will be targeting a middle linebacker early on.
The Vikings brass, and Jared Allen, spent last night and today courting free agent wide out Greg Jennings by taking him out to the famous Manny’s Steakhouse and touring the Winter Park facilities.
Now, Jennings is a Minnesota Viking under a five year deal, which fills a huge need on the wide receiver depth chart.
Jennings played with Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay for his whole career, but will now be playing with Christian Ponder who needs to continue to improve in order to maintain his status as the franchise’s quarterback of the present and the future.
Jennings, 29 years old, is coming off of an injury plagued season that turned out to be the worst of his career. He managed only 36 catches for 366 yards and four touchdowns. Still, the assumption is that he is fully healthy now and will strive to return to the 1,000 yard plus receiver that he was known as, which the Vikings need so desperately.
With Percy Harvin being traded to Seattle the Vikings have Jerome Simpson, Jarius Wright, and Stephen Burton on the Vikings depth chart that could still see some movement this offseason. The Vikings are still expected to use some combination of their 11 draft picks to add youth and talent at the position.
Jennings has played 96 games in his career and has caught 425 balls for 6,537 yards and 53 touchdowns.
His new deal is expected to be $47.5 million over the five years, with $18 million guaranteed, which is a $9.5 million per year average.
Rick Spielman had a lot of kind things to say about his staff at Thursday’s press conference prior to introducing Leslie Frazier who described Friday as a “great day for the Minnesota Vikings.” Frazier also placed an emphasis on Jennings having high character and leadership qualities, which are the types of statements that were all too predictable following the trade of Harvin.
“I’m excited, today is a great day, and I’m looking forward to what the future holds,” said Jennings right off the bat who went on to describe his first walk into free agency and give his respects to the Green Bay Packers organization.
“It was just a family feel. It felt comfortable,” Jennings said of his visit with the Vikings who said the team is a contender for whom the window is now opening, not closing. He also said the move was selfish in that he is looking forward to playing with Adrian Peterson who commands the attention of an entire defense.
Jennings also talked highly of Christian Ponder’s game tape and feels he has matured, and will continue to mature, as a passer in the NFL and is looking forward to helping him out with that.
“It’s a fresh new start. A Change,” he said. ”I’m looking forward to the change.”
Jennings said that his choices “pretty much” came down to Minnesota and Green Bay, and then cited his dinner with Jared Allen as a big reason why he made the decision he did.
Jennings ended his conference by saying, with a huge smile, that it is important to note he is currently 29 years old and will not be 30 until after the season starts.
Matt Cassel knows he is being brought in not to compete with starting quarterback Christian Ponder, but to be his backup.
“Backup plan” might be a more accurate description for the thinking behind signing the 30 year old quarterback, given Christian Ponder’s sure-to-be short leash as he enters his third season in the NFL.
“They conveyed exactly that,” Cassel said on Thursday, “That Christian obviously had a great year last year, they went 10-6 and that he’s their starting quarterback and that they’re looking to bring somebody in with experience and somebody that will come in and basically be somebody who can step in if need be.”
“The fact of the matter is, again, Christian’s the starting quarterback and I think that we’ll have a great room. I’m there to add value. I’m there to help him out in whatever capacity that is and go from there.”
Contrary to numerous reports that say Cassel signed a one year deal worth $4 million, we believe that Cassel’s deal is actually for two years with an option for him to void it after one. We also believe his 2013 cap hit will actually be less than $4 million.
I have to say, I am having a hard time thinking of a quarterback that has been (or is) on the open market this offseason that is a better and more accomplished quarterback than Cassel. An argument could be made that Ryan Fitzpatrick qualifies, but an argument equally as strong could be made that the Vikings went out and got the best available quarterback this year.
After watching our playoff game at Green Bay last season it is hard to criticize anything about this move, even if the money is a tad on the highside for a backup quarterback.
We have already established with pretty good detail that Rick Spielman’s decision to release veteran cornerback, and locker room leader, Antoine Winfield was not a popular one when it came to the fan base.
One person told Rappaport that “It’s a move backwards” and he says some “aren’t thrilled” with Spielman’s decision.
I feel like I’ve already beat this topic to death, but I would still like to note that as of Thursday afternoon right tackles Sebastian Vollmer and Andre Smith remain unsigned, which is significant because the decision to break their budget for Phil Loadholt was cited as a reason for Winfield’s abrupt departure. In fact, other decent offensive tackles are currently available such as Jake Long and Eric Winston, not to mention the many options available in the upcoming NFL Draft.
Rick Spielman has a reputation in Minnesota for letting the market establish itself before making hasty, big-money decisions so it was surprising to see him cave to Loadholt’s demands even if the player was threatening to join the division rival Chicago Bears.
However, recent events are making me wonder if Spielman isn’t overvaluing the players he has had a hand in bringing to Minnesota. The most recent evidence of this is that the Vikings quickly snatched receiver Jerome Simpson to a one year deal worth $2.1 million. Not only is that a raise from his 2012 salary of $2 million, but Spielman gave Simpson a $500,000 signing bonus, and a $250,000 workout bonus, according to 1500 ESPN. The Vikings are betting on Simpson staying healthy (he did pass his physical) and producing far more significantly than he did last season.
Simpson’s pay day comes despite the fact that he never produced more than 50 receiving yards in any game last season and has caught the same amount of touchdown passes from Christian Ponder as I have: zero.
It is not a huge surprise that fans aren’t a fan of Rick Spielman’s approach to free agency, as he is usually going to shy away from the splashy instant gratification moves that fans love to see, but his decision to cut Winfield is putting everything else he does under a microscope and doing the math to see just why exactly his plan had to involve that questionable decision.
And, according to Rappaport’s report, some within Winter Park are looking pretty closely themselves.
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