Posts tagged: Erin Henderson

No Franchise Tag For The Vikings

February 24, 2012, by No comments yet

Rick Spielman confirmed on Thursday that the Vikings are not going to use their franchise tag on any of their pending free agents this offseason.

Considering the talent, or lack thereof, of the players set to possibly become unrestricted free agents the decision should come as no surprise to anyone.

I feel like I have been pretty supportive of outside linebacker Erin Henderson over the years, but Pro Football Focus’s high rating of Henderson’s 2011 performance has led to some outlandish speculation that the Vikings should use the tag on him.

In the end, however, Henderson was an average player on a horrible team.  He is in no way worth the money he would get from a franchise tag, but a contract extension should be in the works as long as Henderson hasn’t overvalued himself like PFF has.

Spielman also made clear that decisions on the Henderson brothers would be handled individually, and their relation would have no bearing on the front office’s evaluation of their value.

“That’s tough business decisions,” Spielman said. “But that’s the hardest part, is trying to take the human element out of it and just trying to do the best business decision you can make.”

It also sounds like the Vikings will finalize decisions on their roster and pending free agents by the end of next week, which means one very important thing:  I need to finish up my “Offseason Preview” segments real quick like.

Free agency starts on March 13th and the Vikings are expected to be active prior to that date releasing, re-signing, and restructuring their existing contracts to solidify positions and clear cap space.  That process is getting underway this week in Indy, as nearly everybody is there, including agents for the players in question.

“We’re talking to everyone’s agent, those guys, and (finding out) if they’re interested in that or not interested in that,” Spielman said. “We might not be interested in restructuring. We may be just be ready to move on, too.”

Steve Hutchinson, Cedric Griffin, and Anthony Herrera continue to be hot topics as these decisions loom.

OFFSEASON PREVIEW: The Second Level

February 12, 2012, by 2 comments
Greenway

[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, and The Defensive Ends.]

Last offseason, the Vikings faced a crossroads with former first round pick Chad Greenway, and they decided to invest heavily in the outside linebacker by placing the franchise tag on him and then giving him a huge contract extension.

This year, the Vikings face similar decisions with the other two linebackers slots, and the position could be headed for major transition this offseason.

Let’s take a closer look.

Continue Reading →

Erin Henderson The All-Pro?

January 5, 2012, by 7 comments

The hit website Pro Football Focus has taken the internet by storm the last few years with their unique stat tracking and player analysis.

This rating system of theirs pegged John Sullivan as the second best center in the NFL this season and Phil Loadholt as the best run blocking right tackle in the NFL this season.  In a year that Vikings fans had trouble recognizing any positives on the football field, outside of Percy Harvin and Jared Allen, it is always interesting to see their evaluations of individual players.

The latest tidbit of interest involves Vikings outside linebacker Erin Henderson, who is due to become a free agent in March.

Henderson has been named to PFF’s second team 2011 All Pro team as a 4-3 outside linebacker.

In fact, Henderson is the only Viking other than Jared Allen to make either the first team or the second team (Allen was on the first team), which means PFF has Henderson rated ahead of Chad Greenway. 

“Henderson isn’t on the radar of many,” says the article.  “Especially as a two down linebacker, but his play was so good it’s hard not to imagine some clever team giving him more than the Vikings can and get him on the field for every snap.”

After leading the league in special teams tackles, former Vikings linebacker Heath Farwell was named to the first team as a special teamer.