You Asked And I Try To Answer

Friday evening I solicited questions from the audience and I will try to hit as many as I can in this segment.

A few of them were too silly to answer in this post, but I’ll try and match the silliness and reply to them in the comments section.

Here we go.

NORSEMAN66:  Is there going to be a live chat during the draft (each day)?

ADAM:  Yes!  Brett and I plan to host live chats here at VT for every selection of the 2012 NFL Draft and we are way excited!  Barring any last minute major changes, you can consider this a done deal.  One thing I might be interested in, though, is recruiting one or two of you to be a moderator during the chats to help out with the work load.  If you have interest, click the “Contact Us” tab at the very top of the page and let me know your availability that week.

BJOHNNY:  What are your thoughts on Speilman? Is he in over his head, clueless or a crafty genius?

ADAM:  Where is the “other” option, Johnny?  I think Spielman’s approach to free agency makes this year’s Draft even more important to him.  Building through the draft is regarded by almost everyone as the best way to put together a winning football team, but you still have to draft well to see those results.  Let’s wait and see how the Draft and the next few waves of free agency go (and maybe even a football game or two) before judging the approach too harshly.

TOMB:  Moss…great year, or bad year?

ADAM:  Depends on how the quarterback situation plays out.  I think it was going to be a disaster with Alex Smith at the helm.

MALTE:  Do you think there is too much negativity surrounding the vikings fans? When we don’t sign the top dollar free agent everybody screams for Ricks head. When we do make a move, everybody screams it’s a waste of money.

ADAM:  I think fans are perhaps a little surprised that, with so many blue chip players available on Tuesday, that the Vikings were as conservative as they were.  I know I was.  I think many fans had a letdown in the back of their minds as free agency approached, but were still taken aback by the extreme lack of movement by the front office.  I do, however, think there is too much negativity floating about as it is the results of the moves that matters most, not the moves themselves.  Let’s see how things play out before calling for Spielman’s head, yeah?

TRENNO478:  Of all the current UFA’s left out there who do you sign? you can only choose one however.. And to make it interesting we’ll say hypothetically Erin Henderson has already re-signed.

ADAM:  I won’t cop out and say Peyton Manning.  I cannot believe the linebacker talent that is still available in free agency!  I mean, I know G.M.’s aren’t crazy about dedicating resources to the position, but it almost seems like they have devalued the position of middle linebacker to a ridiculous level.  Curtis Lofton, formerly of the Falcons, is a stud and is only 26 years old.  Go get him Spielman!  Honorable mentions:  DT Jason Jones; CB William Middleton; MLB Stephen Tulloch; WR Steve Smith; S LaRon Landry; OLB Chris Chamberlain.

NORSEMAN66:  What do you think the Vikings are trying to accomplish during free agency. Since we have signed 1 player who didn’t play last year, 1 player who is coming for a visit (maybe) on Monday, that didn’t play last year and signed 1 that plays basketball and not football.

ADAM:  I think, when evaluating players, you have to be able to understand why they performed at the level they did.  In the case of John Carlson, the Vikings obviously feel that he is healthy and that they can put him in a better position to succeed than the Seahawks did.  Remember, even before his injury, he was called upon to block a lot to help out an offensive line that was terrible.  In the case of point guard Nick Taylor, he is a guy with the physical tools to possibly succeed in a number of places on the football field, so the Vikings are probably planning to just bring him to camp and see what happens.

CALVKG:  You have hair?

ADAM:  Indeed.  At the moment I have a little too much hair.  If you saw me walking on the sidewalk, you would assume I was on my way to Wall Street… to occupy it with my hacky sack.

TOMB:  Is Brad Childress bald because even his hair can’t stand him?

ADAM:  His streams of consciousness were getting tangled in it before.

SB:  The Vikings are on the clock in the 2nd round, they have equally rated players at CB, WR, S and DT on their board, what position do they take and why?

ADAM:  Four players?  Equally rated?  Well, first I try and trade backwards three spots.  If that doesn’t work, then I take the safety.  Sadly, safeties have incredibly short windows of opportunity to be productive before their bodies begin to break down from the pounding they take (or, as it may be, give).  This is particularly true of the really good safeties.  Seldom do you get a guy like Brian Dawkins that can play to such an age.  So, I think it is smart to draft your safeties instead of signing free agents that already have a lot of miles on them.  Plus, at this point, I would say safety is the biggest need on this roster.

NORSEMAN66:  What do you think the Vikes will do in the draft?

I have absolutely no idea, and I don’t think anyone else does either.  This roster has so many holes, and the Vikings have so many picks, that just about anything could happen.  I suspect that Spielman will try to maximize his value by moving around quite a bit, because that is what he does, and that scares me a bit.  Even the first round pick, however, is up in the air until we find out exactly what the trade market is.  Everyone here should be rooting for quarterback Ryan Tannehill to generate a ton of buzz.

WTFVIKESFAN:  So how much snow do you still have up there in Alaska? In Fargo today it was 75.

ADAM:  We’ve had well over 400 inches this year where I am at.  Right now, the untouched areas are at a level of about seven or eight feet tall.  The last few weeks have provided us with a little bit of a break, but we are a long ways away from 75 degree weather!

TRENNO478:  Why don’t you have a Twitter account?

ADAM:  Brett is going to hate me for saying this, but… I hate social media.  I understand the importance, and it is useful in digging up news and whatnot, but it isn’t for me.  The way I look at it, every minute I spend tweeting or updating my status is a minute I could spend writing posts here at VT… or reading a book to my boy… or watching Justified.  Brett does an awesome job with VT’s Twitter account, however, so go ahead and check us out by clicking here… if you are into that sort of thing.  Which I’m not.

NORSEMAN66:  Is the stadium issue the real cause for the Vikes not being active in free agency?

ADAM:  I think so, yes, but probably not for the reasons you think.  I think the Wilf Family went “All In” in 2009 and 2010, signing veteran stop gaps like Brett Favre, in an effort to gain momentum for their stadium cause.  The problem is, however, that he was off by a couple of years and the stadium hadn’t yet reached a critical point.  Now, the consequences are that this roster needs to be blown up and rebuilt via the Draft.

WTFVIKESFAN:  Some people said Reiley Reiffs stock fell during the combine. But I have been reading his stock is climbing fast. Several teams have said they prefer Reiff over Kalil because he can play both left and right tackle and can also play guard. And Reiff has better footwork. What do you think about Reiff vs. Kalil?

ADAM:  To be honest, when I see Riley Reiff play I see one heck of a right tackle.  I don’t think he is superior to Matt Kalil as a left tackle prospect, and I think that when they measured Reiff’s arms at the Combine, a lot of teams labeled him as a right tackle only.  In my opinion, Reiff will be a heck of a football player, but Kalil is the superior prospect.

TOMB:  You are wandering the Alaska wilderness & get lost in a blizzard. You stumble across a deserted cabin. You are freezing to death. You spy within the cabin a candle, a kerosene lamp & a fireplace w/wood. Searching further you find only 1 match. Your life is on the line, you need heat. What do you light first TO SAVE YOUR LIFE?

ADAM:  I don’t think I would do much good unless that match was the first thing I lit, right?  Okay, right back at you:  How far can a dog run into the woods?

LOST VIKING: Is 2012 a write off? How do you know when we’ve hit bottom? Why would you put faith in Spielman’s garage sale approach to the roster?

ADAM:  Good to see you have been found, Lost Viking!  You must have lit the match first.  Good call.  Yes, 2012 will pretty much be a write off.  I don’t see us competing for any titles.  However, there will be plenty of storylines to follow that could shape the future.  How will Adrian Peterson fare upon his return?  Will Christian Ponder progress?  How do the 10 (or so) draft picks perform?  Will Leslie Frazier coach this team to enough wins to save his job?  Even when we are certain of failure, nothing beats watching Vikings football.

WTF SPIELMAN:  Why wasnt resigning or tendering kenny onatulo a priority? We were already short at lber…if we dont resign erin and ej…what are we gunna do…we only have 2 lbers on roster….doesnt sound like a good spot to be in to me?

ADAM:  Jasper Brinkley, Chad Greenway, Larry Dean, Solomon Elimimian, and Tyrone McKenzie are all currently under contract with the Vikings as linebackers.  One could argue to have Everson Griffen’s name thrown in there, as well.  So, while the Vikings could use more talent, they don’t lack depth at the position.  Plus, most of the free agent linebacker talent is still available so a move is still possible, not to mention the Draft is still coming.  Plenty of opportunity.  As far as Onatolu goes, I was surprised that they didn’t tender him.  They did make him an offer, though, but apparently it didn’t amount to much.

TOMB:  Will Ponder prove his worth this year, or nay?

ADAM:  It’d be a tall order for him to prove his full value in his second year, especially considering the rebuilding going on around him.  It is crucial, however, that he make big strides towards improvement.  Something tells me, unfortunately, that Joe Webb’s name is going to be chanted a time or two in the Metrodome next season.

C.CARTERHOF:  Will we have to endure another heartbreaking NFC Championship loss in the year 2020?

ADAM:  If we make it to the Championship game, then it will doubtless be a heartbreaking loss.  This is the Minnesota Vikings after all.

OLE:  What’s the best hair color to compliment a Purple Thong?

ADAM:  I’m not sure how to answer this question, Ole, so I am going to ignore it and plug our VT Giving Page instead.  I have hand selected a number of football related projects worthy of our support over at DonorsChoose.org.  So, if you have any interest in helping out some school kids that could really use it, then check out our VT Giving Page by clicking here.  Okay, fine, Ole… jet black.

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