VT Question of the Week: If Forced to Keep Just 5 WRs, Who Makes the Cut?

Question Of The Week

by Lindsey Young - Aug 20, 2015

Minnesota has some depth at wide receiver this season, and six main guys are standing out as major competitors for the final 53-man roster: veteran Mike Wallace, Cordarrelle Patterson, Adam Thielen, Jarius Wright, Charles Johnson and rookie Stefon Diggs. Although the general belief is that the Vikings will end up hanging onto all six guys, we decided to have a discussion. If Minnesota only keeps five receivers, which player doesn’t make the cut?

Adam: Cordarrelle Patterson
Wallace and Johnson are totally safe. Wright is too good to consider, despite the fact that he may not be a Viking after his contract year. Diggs is a recent investment that has no chance of going anywhere, especially with the proficiency he has displayed so far in training camp and preseason. The decision really comes down to Patterson and Thielen, which is an incredibly difficult decision to make.

I loved Patterson coming out of college and thought he displayed a lot of traits of a first-round receiver, despite being raw. However, I’m losing patience with the “raw” label he has been given and feel like he has even regressed under the current coaching staff. I don’t see the “those legs never stop churning” efforts that I noticed on his college tape anymore and have to wonder if he’ll even get a chance to prove his worth as a true receiver before his rookie contract has expired. He is a wild card at this point, and sticking with him over a guy like Thielen could be a gamble.

Thielen, on the other hand, has greatly exceeded expectations and has a knack for being exactly in the right spot at exactly the right time. He is speedy, displays dependable catching abilities, and has tremendous value on special teams.

If I had to cut one of these guys right here and right now, Adam Thielen is the better football player. I would rather cut Patterson and have him make that decision look stupid by succeeding elsewhere than keep him and have me look stupid right here in Minnesota.

Either way, a bursting depth chart at this position is a nice problem to have and I hope they decide to carry six. If not, then Rick Spielman has a dandy of a decision on his hands that carries real-life ramifications unlike this little experiment of ours.

Brian: Adam Thielen
When all is said and done, I believe the Vikings keep 6 WRs and they all stay. I say, if any of them get cut, it’s Thielen. He’s a valuable player given his ability to play several roles but he probably has limited upside as well. The first three are set. Diggs is a rookie they won’t take a chance on cutting and, as frustrating as he can be, they can’t give up on Patterson’s potential yet.

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More Than Words: Time Is Running Out!

Charity

by Adam Warwas - Aug 19, 2015

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO BE AWESOME & DONATE

Okay, Vikings fans, here’s the deal… We need your help!

The #MoreThanWords campaign ends on Saturday evening and we’re desperate to see more donations hit the books over at Chad Greenway’s Lead the Way Foundation before the deadline. If you are unfamiliar with what we are trying to accomplish then please click here and learn about the effort!

The main thing you need to know is that you can possibly win some awesome prizes, like an autographed football and a new jersey, by donating as little as $10 to the awesome program that is “Chad’s Lockers.”

Here is a rundown of everything that has happened so far:

First and foremost, we’ve managed to raise upwards of $4,000 dollars (new update below) to help stock Chad Greenway’s lockers located throughout various Minnesota Children’s Hospitals. These lockers provide a mental escape for kids that are away from the comfort of home, sometimes for long periods at a time, dealing with various illnesses.
Chad Greenway recently talked with Daniel House over at Vikings Corner about the impact that the funds will have on the existing “Lockers” around the Twin Cities area.
We’ve received a personal letter from Chad Greenway himself thanking everyone involved in this campaign and further explaining the importance of what we’re all doing.
We’ve seen well-known Minnesota personalities like Paul Allen and Vikings legends like Fran Tarkenton support the cause on Twitter.
Vikefans.com spoke personally with Greenway at training camp about the #MoreThanWords campaign and what it means to him.
Companies have donated large amounts of money to become official sponsors of the #MoreThanWords campaign. (Echidna, a Minneapolis-based eCommerce agency and SH Architecture, an architecture firm all the way from Las Vegas, Nevada.)
The very talented Matt Engstrom, Vikings Territory’s resident illustrator, donated all profits from the sales of his awesome t-shirts to the #MoreThanWords campaign.
We got to hear directly from patients who benefit from the Chad’s Locker thanks to Lindsey Young’s touching interviews during a visit to one of the hospitals benefiting from the program.
Finally, we upped the ante when Vikings Territory announced it would be gifting a brand new Vikings jersey to a random person who donated $10 dollars or more to the cause.
We are also giving away a signed Jimmy Kleinsasser football and cool Chad Greenway print (courtesy of Fan HQ) to a pair of lucky winners.

Alright, so here is where things stand regarding our little “competition” between sites and the total funds raised to-date.

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(UPDATED) Vikings’ John Sullivan misses practice, Stephen and Bykowski undergo surgeries

Injuries

by Brian Hall - Aug 19, 2015

Sullivan — Photo courtesy of Vikings.com

Losing Phil Loadholt was only the first blow of the week for the Minnesota Vikings.

Loadholt is out the rest of the season after suffering an Achilles injury in last week’s game. Wednesday’s the team was without center John Sullivan, defensive tackle Shamar Stephen, offensive tackle Carter Bykowski, rookie tight end MyCole Pruitt, safety Antone Exum and cornerback Josh Robinson.

Running back Adrian Peterson returned to practice as he continues to deal with a right thigh bruise, according to reports.

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Purple FTW! Podcast – Episode 152 – What is a Stephen Goodin? with Di Murphy

Podcast

by Andy Carlson - Aug 19, 2015

Preseason rolls on for the Minnesota Fightin’ Vikings and we do to as we ramp up for the 2015 season by getting into our brand new Monday-Wednesday-Friday format! Di Murphy (@DiMurphyMN) stops by for her first regular Wednesday appearance.

Queen of The Shoes Talking Points Include
• Jerome Simpson is DUMB
• Teddy is as smooth as quality peanut butter
• Christian Ponder returns to Minnesota (Dun dun dun)
• The Phil Loadholt injury: Ripple Effects (#TeamClemmings #TeamShepherd)
• Andy jokes about bringing Charlie Johnson back
• Cordarrelle Patterson is done in Minnesota. Let’s be real.
• Eric Kendricks is redonkulous & has stepped up the games of Audie & Hodges
• Anthony Barr injury. Concerned or nah?
• New DE Khalil Mack vs Matt Kalil – The Khalil vs Kalil Bowl
• Di talks about the Lynx & compares them to Vikings players
• Bookmark us on Amazon & show us some love!

All that and other “Teddy over Luck” fun on this edition of the Purple FTW! Podcast!

An Andy Carlson Joint.

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POLL OF THE WEEK: Keeping Teddy Bridgewater Clean

Poll Of The Week

by Austin Belisle - Aug 18, 2015

Vikings Bucs Tunnel — Image courtesy of Vikings.com

Last week, I wrote that the Norv Turner and the Minnesota Vikings need to let Teddy Bridgewater operate from the pocket, or, create moving pockets through roll-outs and play action. If the Vikings are going to be successful this season and beyond, they’ll need to ride those skinny knees of a healthy Teddy Bridgewater.

While play-calling helps minimize the effect of a defense’s schemes and blitzes, protecting the quarterback begins at the line of scrimmage with the offensive line and running backs — two of the most important positional groups heading into 2015.

Their importance has skyrocketed in recent days, most notably after the loss of Phil Loadholt during Saturday night’s preseason game against the Buccaneers. Loadholt suffered a torn achilles and will miss the entire season, which puts him at risk of being cut before 2016. As Adam wrote on Sunday, the Vikings have a few options to replace “Big Phil,” though the job at right tackle appears to be rookie T.J. Clemmings’s to lose.

So much relies on the Vikings’ group up front, and so much of that pressure falls on a select few players, from embattled left tackle Matt Kalil to newly-minted right guard Mike Harris. Can this reshuffled and retooled line live up to the test, or will Teddy Bridgewater end up battered and bruised like he was last season?

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