What’s next for Toby Gerhart?

May 15, 2013, by 28 comments

It’s been three years since the Minnesota Vikings traded up to make running back Toby Gerhart a second-round pick.

Since then, he’s done nothing to prove that he’s capable of being a reliable option behind Adrian Peterson. On top of averaging a pathetic 3.4 yards per carry last season, he failed to display the power and vision that made him a top prospect coming out of college. And we all remember that disastrous fumble-fest against the San Francisco 49ers…

Unless Gerhart magically flips a switch in 2013, the Vikings will part ways with the former Heisman Trophy runner-up. What avenue they decide to take, though, is TBD.

The first, and most appealing, of the Vikings’ options is trading Gerhart, who could be an intriguing addition for a team looking to implement some power into their ground game. While the former second-round pick won’t fetch much after three underwhelming seasons, getting something for Gerhart instead of letting him walk via free agency seems logical.

The other option is severing ties with Gerhart now and avoiding disaster. Let’s talk hypotheticals…

Let’s say – knock on wood – Peterson goes down in 2013 and is forced to miss significant time due to the injury. In that instance, the Vikings would have to rely on Gerhart to carry the load with no other proven running backs on the roster. While he has been serviceable in the short-term, he’s too inconsistent and inefficient to start more than two or three games. Avoiding that situation might be a good option for Minnesota.

If the Vikings did go with Door No. 2, a free agency acquisition would become a must. The only other ball carriers currently on the roster are Matt Asiata and a handful of undrafted rookies. Not exactly comforting in terms of depth. There are several capable options – Ahmad Bradshaw, Michael Turner, Javon Ringer – wading in the free agency pool who could fill the void.

It’s something to consider moving forward, especially with Gerhart likely headed elsewhere in 2013.

Vikings Sign Three

May 14, 2013, by 2 comments

I thought for sure Rick Spielman and company would wait until three minutes before training camp begins to sign their rookies.  That always feels like the way of it, anyways.

This year might be different, though, as the Vikings have already gotten started on the process.

Fourth round linebacker Gerald Hodges, seventh round linebacker Michael Mauti, and seventh round defensive tackle Everett Dawkins signed their rookie contracts on Tuesday.  Each of these rookie deals are for four years and include signing bonuses.

The Vikings still have all three of their first round selections to worry about, but the rookie wage scale all but guarantees there to be little drama surrounding these guys and their contracts.

Stadium Reveal, Vikings New Glass Cathedral

May 13, 2013, by 46 comments

It’s pretty awesome that we got to watch the unveiling today of the stadium where our Minnesota Vikings will be playing for many years to come. Think about that for a second… Just a couple years ago the idea of a new stadium seamed unattainable. Today, we’re talking about how big the monitors are going to be and exactly how many toilets will be provided.

I think we all just need to take that in for a moment.

Good? Okay, let’s move on.

I wanted to outline some of the details of the new stadium, provide some pretty-picture renderings andgive a bit of my own personal opinion. (I have an education in Architecture, so my opinion matters. Not really, though…)

New Vikings Stadium Front Rendering

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Vikings Stadium Unveiled

May 13, 2013, by 7 comments

All of the photos rendered to unveil the new Vikings stadium have been revealed via Vikings.com and were announced at a special ceremony Monday evening at the Guthrie Theatre.

You can click here to see them.

Stadium Unveiled: Open Thread

May 13, 2013, by 3 comments

Tonight the Vikings are unveiling their new stadium plans and you can watch the whole thing live by clicking here.

We’ll have stories and stuff coming up soon about the stadium itself, but until then feel free to use this post as an open thread to discuss the unveiling.  All images are now available by clicking right here.

Commence!

Links Of The Week: A Little Slow These Days

May 11, 2013, by 4 comments

The news isn’t exactly hard to keep up with these days, because there isn’t much of it, but that didn’t stop us from digging up some good stuff to pass along this weekend:

  • The Vikings seem to have a thing for tall defensive backs these days.
  • A look at what undrafted quarterback James Vandenberg might bring to the #3 quarterback competition.
  • The Vikings finalized their agreement to play at TCF Bank Stadium and there are some interesting details regarding the situation.
  • Nick Reed may not have lasted long with the Vikings, but that hasn’t stopped him from having a bad ass career path.
  • A year after “experts” failed to give the Vikings a chance at the playoffs it appears they are now gaining some respect.
  • An old cohort of mine is now running Vikings Gab.  Congrats to Chris Boynton 0n his new gig.
  • A look at how the post-Draft depth chart is shaping up at the linebacker position.
  • Cris Carter has finally been voted into the Hall of Fame so we are now left to wonder who the next Viking to receive that honor will be.
  • Count Governor Mark Dayton as one of the clueless who think the Vikings weren’t justified, in terms of football reasons, to draft Chris Kluwe’s replacement.
  • Rick Spielman recently said Christian Ponder deserves as much credit as Adrian Peterson in the franchise making the playoffs last year.  Seriously.  He said that.  With word.  From his mouth.  And he wasn’t drunk.
  • The Vikings have 39 players on their roster right now that they drafted which ranks 7th in the NFL.
  • Linebacker Michael Mauti has a lengthy history of dealing with injury, but so does Vikings trainer Eric Sugarman.
  • The Vikings have started yet another community oriented campaign called “WE DAY.”
  • Rick Spielman is making it clear that he expects Ponder to make a big jump this season.
  • Vegas is not being kind to the Vikings when it comes to predicting their 2013 chances.
  • If the Vikings had their own “Mount Rushmore” who would you put on it?
  • And now, here it is, your moment of Zen:

TOMBION IS BACK WITH SOME WEEKEND ENTERTAINMENT

May 11, 2013, by 8 comments

Once again, infamous reader “Tomb” is back with some spontaneous satire.  Considering this week saw The Onion try to lampoon Chris Kluwe, only to be out-Onioned by Kluwe himself, the timing fits.  Yeah, slow news week.. Enjoy!

the Tombion: All the satire, none of the originality.

Rick Spielman Reaches Uncomfortably Far Across Table to Pass Christian Ponder Ketchup.

Eden Prarie—At a team luncheon, Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder quietly asked for someone to pass the ketchup. Though three people were positioned close enough to the bottle to be able to comfortably and easily provide it to him, Rick Spielman abruptly leapt up and extended ridiculously far across the table to grab the bottle and send it Christian’s way.

“I’ve been to plenty of these luncheon deals,” an unnamed source proffered, “but I’ve never seen anybody pull anything like that. I mean, the guy was up on his tip toes. We’ve all heard rumors about Al Davis; that he’d actually get up on the table on all fours to reach for the ketchup, but I’ve never actually seen it, so this, to me, ranks as the biggest reach I’ve personally witnessed.”

Spielman reportedly did not, however, reach for the check.

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