Was wondering what people thought is the Vikings' biggest weakness excluding QB. I am looking at the current roster, so no Brett Favre and I don't want a debate about whether he makes the QB position no longer the weak link.
However, if we did sign Favre, which is likely. It clearly is to try and win a Super Bowl this year. No other reason to sign him.
If we are doing that, I could see the Vikings dealing future picks for players that could help out. Where would you want that player to be?
I would love to see some solid depth at CB or LB. It could come at a decent price and we have no depth there. LB after the starting 3 is a huge drop-off. CB after 'Toine and Ced is a hodgepodge of Charles Gordon, Benny Sapp, Marcus Macauley, and Asher Allen. (Leg is still not healed I believe, complete moron, disappearing act last year, and rookie respectively). Still wondering about the decision to not take D.J. Moore in 3rd. Anyone know what scouts hated in him?
As far as starters go, I suppose I could see a big picks for Boldin/Marshall deal, but I doubt it will happen. I think we are going to dance with our dates at WR. I honestly, see depth as our biggest problem. Hell, I even stopped calling for Shaincoe's head last year.
Offensive line for me. I think that is easily our weakest spot except our left side obviously. We have a center who has never started a game before, or Cook moving back there. Maybe he can excel at that position since it was his position when drafted. We have Herrera who is a great leader on the field and a good run blocker but nothing to get all crazy about. Then our RT who is either going to be an unproven rookie or Cook back there. We have hardly any depth there and some new faces.
I agree. The offensive line, after QB, is definitely the biggest question mark. Replacing Matt Birk is a major undertaking, and Phil Loadholt is after all a rookie. Will he pan out, or will he be another Robert Gallery ( Raiders semi bust )? As with all things, time will tell. I hope they can gel quickly. Personally, I'd like to see the front five there all summer long working together. Not likely, but I'd sure like to see them get the extra work so they can become a cohesive unit as soon as possible.
What do you guys feel about passing on Duke Robinson in the 5th round then? I like Brinkley, but Duke was the best G in the draft. I have high hopes for Loadholt at ROT. If someone goes down at tackle or guard with an injury, it could be ugly.
C I think Cook and O'Sullivan will be serviceable, but nothing more. At least Cook can't get speed rushed anymore.
Ill have to also agree with offensive line from the center going right. Ryan Cook is deffinatly not the answer at any position on the line. Anthony herrara is a decent right guard but would be better suited as a backup to the right side. I loved the Phil Loadholt pick. I had a draft party and i called the pick. I was high on him last year all through the college season. And loved that pick. Now we have to see if he can handle an NFL DE/LB rush. John Sullivan is going to get his shot at center. With him being a late pick you wouldnt think there would be very high expecations. But letting Matt Birk go showed the coaching staff thinks he can fill the middle of the line. I dont know if i see it as a weakness or more of an uncertainty. I dont mind the depth at linebacker. Erin Henderson from what ive heard can play all three positions. With the exception of the penalty getting cant cover Benny Sapp, i think our corner depth is alright also. I like Asher Allen. If Charles gordon can come back from injury he should be more than ok at nickle. Marcus McCualley is going into his last year to pan out. He was highly touted in college but had some troubles that let us grab him. From what ive seen he has the physical tools. Its more of a can he apply himself to the tampa 2. I like our wide receivers going into this year. Come draft day i honestly wanted Hakeem Nicks from carolina. But ive watched some Percy Harvin highlights and i think he can be used in the west coast offense. He is a playmaker like Adrian Peterson. He can take a short pass and take it to the house. So hopefully we have a qb that can hit him not only when he is open but in stride so he can make some plays. Bernard Berrian will be a pro bowler if we have favre. I dont like favre, but he can throw a nice deep ball. Bobby Wade is an ok slot guy. Shancoe came on strong last year and will only get better in his third year in the system. Sidney Rice is in a make or break year and i like our depth with aundre allison. The only one could be linebacker but i think we have three studs and some alright players who can fill in behind if need be.
yikes i read your post after i posted mine. Robert Gallery for the Raiders is only a bust at tackle. I would take him at guard any day, well not with Steve Hutchinson there, but besides him any day. So i agree with the semi-bust statement in the respect that you never take a guard that high.
Our OL is already better than it was last year. Matt Birk's game deteriorated in a hurry so we dropped him, and we drafted a starter for the left side.
I think our biggest weakness is special teams. Not the kickers, but the punt/kick coverage. That group was horrible last year. Do they keep count of how many times some moron could have downed the ball inside the 5 but instead stepped into the end zone? I bet we led the league in that last year.
My first thought too was center and to the right as already dwelled on. Second for me is the safety tandum of Johnson and Williams. Johnson in his second year I hope is not a liability and we'll see if he progresses. Our secondary needs to step it up to be a top 5 defense that they could be. Third for me is WR but with Favre on the horizon & Winfield whinning about his contract there's no way we make a move for Boudlin or Marshell.
Special teams- good point ozark. We've totally sucked on coverages the last two years and maybe with the new coaching change ( I forget his name and am too lazy to look him up) things will shape up.
Last but not least the biggest weakness the Vikings have is Childress, we need a more competent X and O's game time coach!!!
Special teams were horrible last year outside of FG kicking....and I think we even had a couple of blocked FG's. Our kick coverage is near the bottom of the league.
I'm fine with our offensive line the way it is. What I would like to see is some more DT depth. Let's face it, Pat Williams isn't getting any younger. In next year's draft, we should take a DT with the 32nd pick since there probably won't be any good quarterbacks left. Anybody know which good quarterbacks are available in free agency next year?
Ozark, I do have to question your thoughts, here. The claim that Matt Birk was "dropped" by the Vikings because he simply wasn't playing well any more is rather far-fetched. Although, not nearly as much as the thought that a rather unproven young player will be filling his role this year, and yet the Offensive Line will somehow be "better". While the young man could very well play at a high level this year, he is a rather large question mark, and therefore the line is not "already better than it was last year". At least, not at this point.
I will give you that Phil Loadholt is a strong player. He was one of my favored players this year that a rival NFC North team happenned to draft (happens every year). But, I think that it's a bit of a stretch, to say the least, to think of him as a starting Left Tackle, future (a possibility nonetheless, I'll give you that...) or present.
personally, i agree with the need to shore up our CB's, and i'm not sold on Williams at SS...DT needs to be seriously addressed, if not this year, without a doubt next year...i think the LB's are alright, although i'd like to see Leber get a young stud underneath him...as for the offense, i'm ok with the line, let's see what happens...if Loadholt works at RT, Cook automatically gains value in depth, and i think Sullivan is gonna be less of a liability then some feel...the WR are not what i'd call all-pro, but have potential..if Rice can play to his size, then i think the WR's are ok cause Wade could dominate in the slot...with Harvin as a wildcard..even though Shaincoe had a decent season last year, i still feel this position could use an upgrade...as far as special teams, they'll be fine in coverage this year if they just tweek the philosophy...or get a new special teams coach..and the last point is, the receivers are going to be only as good as the guy chuckin it to 'em...
WR I do not like the collection they have, maybe they can get better but it is getting time to think maybe they wont either. Even if you like the starters you cannot like the depth. Heck Andre Rison is trying to call and get a try out the depth chart at WR is so bad. DB size is a weakness; Griffin and McCauley are full sized guys but after them the vikes have a bunch of small guys DE the team is one deep with good NFL DEs, now it helps Allen is a GREAT DE but the rest of the roster at DE isa questionable bunch of college peaking JaGs at best LB they have a solid but unspectacular 2 down MLB in Henderson and a nice work in project in Greenway but other than those two it is a black hole at the position I actually like their QB situation more than others because of the diverse players. TJax and Sage are VERY different players as will be Favre when he gets there and the reason I like that is because I think one day John David Booty is going to be a nice NFL QB. The fact he gets to sit and watch all these different styles of play, see what works, what does not work, and ultimately what things get the job done best helps him. I am inclined to think JDB is a nice future to have a QB personally, maybe not great but very solid on a Schaub or Collins level, a player the vikes could win with. ~ now all that said about JDB if the Vikes cut him and not Jackson when they sign Favre it is time for Vikes fans to storm the castle the biggest weakness in Minnesota is leadership, on the field, in the locker room, in the front office, and in the owners box. If Favre can fix that, and there are reasons to think he could, then they will be alright. Having the best individual player in pro football (Adrian Peterson) and the best DT combo maybe ever (Williams squared) helps. The way the Vikes perform in the 4 games the Williams boys are out together should decide the NFC North. No way they recover, in my mind, from 0 and 4 but 2 and 2 should get them the division.
Even though I agree that Birk wasn't dropped by the Vikings I'm sure they would have loved to have him back but on thier terms. I'm also sure they didn't go out of thier way to re-sign him. I'm a huge Birk fan for what he has done for the Vikings over the years but Ozark is correct in the fact that Birk's game went way down last year, especially in big games.....his play off performance last year was awful and that is being kind. Although it's going to be a wait and see about Sullivan and I'm sure he'll have his fair share of mistakes early on it was time to move on. For all he has done for the Vikings I really hope Birk has a great year with the Ravens....just not when we play them.
this is a tough one cause I think loadholt and sullivan is going to do well. Loadholt is going to be an above average run blocker on a team that will run a lot and I honestly think cook can revive his career at center. CB is hard to say as well cause our starters have done well and if you could add one player I wouldn't want it to be for depth (come on thats no fun). Madieu is a very solid safety that made our pass defense much better when he was on the field, tyrell is a mystery cause he's young and he was playing FS when he's a SS. WR is tempting, harvin is going to be a pro bowler (yeah thats no typo) but rice needs to have that year we've all been waiting for. However, if I could add good player at any position its DE! Every time I hear peppers I think, what if. What if we had a 10+ sack master on the other side of allen, what if we turn the best defensive line today into the best of all time. We're one very good DE away from having that, our defense is already scary but this puts it at 85 Bears type of a dominating d. 4 pro bowlers on the same defensive line with the rest of the talent on this team would win championships!
I think our biggest weakness was at LB depth. Our offensive line might be a weakness but we will see how that pans out. We might not have a weak line at all. I think our second spot might be CB's. But, again we should wait and see how it turns out this year. Special teams, same thing. Having Heath Farwell back is huge! I think we addressed everything but we should wait and see how it all works out! We might be better. I am worried about the Center position as John Sullivan hasn't played yet but I'm sure he will be fine. Just want to see it before I think it is a weakness. Go Vikings!
Our special teams was pathetic... both coverage and return teams. You'd like to think that Harvin immediately helps the return game (if he stays healthy and out of trouble), and you'd think Brinkley would help coverage, but I'm just not sure it's enough.
While I like Winfield... a lot... his negotiations aren't going well, and while he's still a great zone coverage guy, he's lost a step and can't quite keep up with the quicker WR's in the league. I hope Allen hashes out the way scouts say he should, but CB is such a hard position to predict from one level to another.
I don't want Marshall at all. He's a head case, and while I think he's good, they're looking for a 1st round pick, and look what we got this year... a head case receiver with a ton of talent... just missed on a WR with a ton of talent and isn't a head case (Maclin).
That is a big part of my argument for beefing up the LB and DB corp. Those are usually the best ST coverage players. Specifically safeties and LB's. They can tackle well and read the play as it is coming at them. I would absolutely love to get another LB who is a ST monster and can play reasonable backup LB. Would just make my day. A player like that can give the stars a breather without being a liability is very underappreciated in my OP.
As much as I want to root for him, I have no confidence in Erin Henderson. The reps I saw him get in preseason last year he just looked lost. I really hope Heath Farwell can rebound with a solid year though.
I think I am higher on the O-Line that most guys, but I feel pretty good about it. The left-side rocks. I think Phil Loadholt is a stud. Herrera provides good bang for the buck @ RG. Yes, could he be better, but if you think about what we spend on Hutch and McKinnie, we can't really be spending that much on a RG. O'Sullivan has a good work ethic if nothing else. He comes across as intelligent, though I think Notre Dame football is the most overrated thing in American sports. It has been a long time since Samwise Gamgee laced up the cleats.
2 months til kickoff, time to rile up the natives.
Hutch, I hear you. The situation with Birk is exactly what teams go through at this time of year. The most pressing memory that comes to mind is the movement of Bernard Berrian from one NFC North team to another. Chicago would have loved to keep him, but not on the terms that he was asking. Obviously another team felt that his talents were worth it. If he succeeds, and performs at a level worthy of the terms that he was demanding, it proves to be a poor gamble by the team that let him go. If not, it proves to be a savvy move. This is going to be the case with Birk. If he does not play outstandingly in Baltimore, and his Minnesota replacement is adequate, at least, then Minnesota will be proven intelligent in this matter. Time will tell. I was simply questioning the thought that the change makes the on-field performance of the Minnesota Viking better at this time of year.
As much as I've wanted to see the Vikings crash and burn, I also respected Birk. I share your well-wishes towards him and his performance in Baltimore. Especially the part about not playing well against your own team... Good to hear, man. I appreciate it.
Ramius7, while my Saturdays were usually spent away from the television, the little that I saw of Asher Allen was pretty impressive. He played in a very tough division that saw potent, spread offenses all year. From what I can remember, he was surprisingly tough in run support. I think that, with proper coaching, and provided he's healthy, he'll make a fine CB. He and Loadholt were the two players that hurt me the most to see the Vikings take. Last year, the Lions picked up Kevin Smith, and another NFC North rival snagged some of my more favored players this year. Both should do well for you, provided opportunity and health. I'm optimistic for D.J. Moore, who joins a rather talented young group of Defensive Backs in Chicago. I know little to nothing about him, as I never had the opportunity to see him play, but the footage I've been provided since the draft has looked impressive. It will be very cool to see how these two young players progress.
On that note, I must say that I love the storylines that arise from the game of football. Kevin Smith was chosen as the replacement for Kevin Jones, who was let go due to injury. Chicago picked up Jones, giving him an opportunity to show his former team that he can play at as high a level as he did before his injury. Minnesota happily brought on Bernard Berrian, after his departure from Chicago. Minnesota and Chicago have two very talented young CB's who saw each other regularly in their time in college, and who both have some very similar, striking qualities. Harvin and Hester will play in the same game at least twice a year... Just some of the many thrilling things to watch this year.
I would have to say CB and Oline depending how John Sullivan handles the C job, Ryan Cook is a waste outside as he has proven he has no speed to combat the speed rushers. If we are going to use a 1st or 2nd round pick next season (With no real improvement this season) It would have to be CB, Antoine Winfield isn't getting younger and he might not even be here and our secondary needs strengthening imo. Also WR if Sidney Rice doesn't step up this season. I think basiclly as a team we are pretty solid just some minor adjustments need to be made like Loadholt needs to start and Cook needs some Pine time.
