Taylor vs. Tomlinson vs. Westbrook
by Cobra312004 on Feb 23, 2010 4:17 PM CST
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As we all know, Chester Taylor's contract is expiring soon. While his services on the team have been tremendous, there is always the chance that he will want to head for greener pastures and a starting job elsewhere. And who can blame him if he does? He signed with the Vikings to be a starter and watched them draft a RB in his second year on the team. At 31 years old, he has only one full season as a starter. Many believe he would generate a lot of interest on the open market for this reason however, as his body hasn't taken the beating of most backs his age.
If Taylor decides not to re-sign with the Purple and Gold, many have speculated that we should address the backup RB position in the 1st or 2nd round of this year's draft. A player like Dexter McCluster (who I see as a poor man's Percy Harvin) could step into Taylor's vacated third down back duties. While I understand the logic in such a move, it would be counterproductive. Peterson's brilliance is unparalleled but his protection and pass catching have been a weakness throughout his career (though he is improving in both areas quickly). Our backup needs to excel in those areas that Peterson is weakest (as Taylor has for several years). And those areas are the same areas that all rookie backs struggle with, especially pass protection.
Fortunately for us, two veteran running backs have recently come available for the upcoming free agency signing period. Both are experienced blockers and exceptional receivers out of the backfield. They both come from similar offenses even. That's right, Brian Westbrook and LaDainian Tomlinson are both free agents in case you missed the news.
The thought of adding Brian Westbrook to this offense must have Childress salivating a little. Though he has never said it publicly, I believe that Childress had been looking for a player to fill Westbrook's role in his offense ever since he came here. It is for this reason that Childress threw caution to the wind and drafted a player who most assumed was red flagged off the Vikings draft board. Smart money is on Childress sticking with his Philly connection and snatching up Westbrook immediately should Taylor move on. Westbrook has always been too injury prone to be a feature back but may still have some productive years ahead of him as a backup. And the chance to play for a championship caliber team, backup one of the best in the game, work with a coach he is familiar with and continue in an offensive system that he has excelled with in the past may be too much for Westbrook to pass up.
However, the thought of LT and Peterson playing on the same team has me salivating a little myself. And not just out of some John Madden football fantasy where two of the best RB's of the last decade play on the same offense. LT is not the same back he was 3 years ago. That much is clear. But I believe he can still be productive as a backup, especially in the screen game we like to run on 3rd downs. Throw in the added benefit of having one of the best backs in history mentor our own little All Pro RB, and this move makes a lot of sense to me.
The Vikings have publicly stated their desire to keep Taylor. But there has been little to no news on negotiations lately. And those comments were made before two other great options became available. Even with Favre's decision hanging over the Vikings, I think this will be the most important story over the next 2 weeks or so.
So who would you rather have? Westbrook? Tomlinson? Re-sign Taylor? A rookie? Someone else? Sound off Vikings fans!
This FanPost was created by a registered user of The Daily Norseman, and does not necessarily reflect the views of the staff of the site. However, since this is a community, that view is no less important.
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Good Post
Chester, LT and Westbrook are extremely similar in size and skill and unfortunately they are also similar in age and current postion (contract/career).
I really dont see too much of a difference between the players, but I would take CT over LT and Westbrook because I like him and he’s probably the lowest injury risk.
Sure, I would like for them to resign chester, but I dont think it will happen. But I thought they would let Winfield walk last year too (jury still out on that one).
It should come down to money and length of contract. There is young RB talent all over the place and I trust the Vikes personell directors to find a good scat back to complement AD.
to R4F
IF JACKSON IS THE QB NONE OF THESE OPTIONS EXIST. SORRY TJ THE TRUTH HURTS.
Another possibility
As stated by Paul Allen on NFL Total Access tonight, Percy Harvin might be the #2 running back next year.
Yeah I was thinking about that as well
He would offer a lot of options playing out of the back field. The only thing I don’t see him doing is blocking well. He however is a more elusive runner than AP or CT are and of course has great speed and hands. The only problem I really see is then neither RB would be a blocker fo Favre and I’m pretty sure we all saw last year that we truly need someone back there.
unless we’re going to play Tahi and harvin in the back field on pass plays…
It's a lot easier to love the Vikings when they win...
Replace Tahi?
That might be a viable option. Get a big FB who’s good at moving the line, if one is available in the later rounds…
Ah, ah,
We come from the land of the ice and snow,
From the midnight sun where the hot springs blow.
The hammer of the gods will drive our ships to new lands,
To fight the horde, singing and crying: Valhalla, I am coming!
SKOL!
Thinking of how Sauser used to play that position.
He woud hit that hole like a mac truck. The first guy through would hate it.
It's a lot easier to love the Vikings when they win...
Chester Taylor easily. He has the least wear and tear of all of the Rb’s, and fits the role you guys need your 2nd Rb to play just as well if not better then any of these other guys. I guess between he and Westbrook it would be a wash but I think LT is done.
I think LT
can be a servicable 3rd down back. He’s lost that magic that made him a #1 RB, but he’s still one of the better RBs at catching the pass, which is what we got from Taylor. And LT is still a better option at pass blocking than Peterson is. Really, of those three guys, I’d keep CT, but if we can get Tomlinson for less money, I’d go for him. Westbrook I wouldn’t touch, just because once you get the concussion bug it keeps coming back, ala Trent Green and… well Westbrook himself is proof of it.
Good point about Westbrook and LT. I think I’ve been thinking about him to much in terms of being a #1 Rb, which has clouded my judgment on him a bit. He could be a good 3rd down Rb for a team but I don’t know whether or not he will be willing to do that. Either way I’d still take Taylor and am praying to God that somehow we manage to steal him from you guys because after all, you owe us right :)?
by packallday555 on Feb 24, 2010 10:35 AM CST up reply actions
If Chester leaves and we look elsewhere to fill his shoes
We gotta go with LT. Let’s not forget that he was the best running back of the last decade in the NFL. Sure he’s lost a step, but that puts him on pace with above average running backs like our own Chester Taylor.
I am not throwing CT under the bus at all either. He’s a blue collar kinda guy. I would like to see him return. But if he asks for similar money to what he makes now (# 1 money), I just don’t see it happening.
I think LT would love the chance to play in Minny with Favre and AP. He’d have a chance to get a ring and he might help AP deal with fumble issues in the process. It would be a win-win situation.
"We have a right to be proud, for in our veins flows the blood of many brave races who fought as the lion fights for lordship. Here, in the whirlpool of European races, the Ugric tribe bore down from Iceland the fighting spirit which Thor and Odin gave them, which their Berserkers displayed to such fell intent on the seaboards of Europe, ay, and of Asia and Africa too, till the peoples thought that the werewolves themselves had come."
-from Bram Stoker's Dracula
chester
he knows the offense. westbrook came from the same type, but when was the last time he went through a whole season unhurt? i think that lt could still be useful to someone, but not the Vikkings.
GO VIKES!!!
by indianavikesfan on Feb 23, 2010 10:04 PM CST reply actions
A Rookie
First off I really like your post. Your description of either scenario has me wanting to see those backfields tomorrow.
However, the future of the Vikings is important to me. Chester is a perfect Viking. But he is 30 years old. The marked age for a running back. I’m OK with him staying but feel he might be rewarded by another team. I am happy for him if that occurs. Westbrook is Very injury prone and has suffered severe concussions this year. LT just can’t produce on the field like he did in the past.
We do have two back ups that have been learning the system. I have faith in both. Which means we have to restock the cupboard. We will have the opportunity to draft a decent running back and restock. Lets do that. If (God forbid) AP gets hurt in the first game this year we will have RBs in place that can take on the full load responsibility of the RB position. I do not want to be like New England with a committee of aging RBs that can’t get the job done.
Winning is not everything but it sure feels like it sometimes
If not Chester...
I don’t see why Albert Young or Ian Johnson couldn’t fill the third down back role. Everyone is ignoring them for some reason.
Skol Vikings!
Woot Woot!
Mostly because
They can’t pass block as well as Adrian can even. Ideally we’d like at least one RB that can handle a blitz consistently.
That’s the issue with any rookie we might bring in as well.
Is that true?
I basically know nothing of these two, other than that everyone is ignoring them. I have no idea why they’re not being considered for the third down role. Are they incapable of pass blocking?
Skol Vikings!
Woot Woot!
Young
Albert Young is the better of the two, and while I like the potential I see in him, I haven’t see a level of play to suggest that he’s ready to step into CT’s shoes without a drop-off in reliability and performance.
Maybe that’s because he hasn’t been given the same opportunities, it’s true that his playing time has been during the end-game with mostly the second-team on the field. But if there’s one word to use to describe CT, I’d go with ‘clutch’. That doesn’t describe Albert Young… yet.
Ah, ah,
We come from the land of the ice and snow,
From the midnight sun where the hot springs blow.
The hammer of the gods will drive our ships to new lands,
To fight the horde, singing and crying: Valhalla, I am coming!
SKOL!
Immigrant song - Led Zeppelin
I can’t believe it just dawned on me that your signature block thing is the first verse in the Immigrant Song! Great song! I’ve never been one to pay attention to lyrics, but with the connection to the Vikings in this song, I’m surprised I never noticed them before. Cool!
:)))
It’s been 4 decades and I still never get tired of listening to them, lol!
Ah, ah,
We come from the land of the ice and snow,
From the midnight sun where the hot springs blow.
The hammer of the gods will drive our ships to new lands,
To fight the horde, singing and crying: Valhalla, I am coming!
SKOL!
Zeppelin
I remember they were starting a tour and one of the first dates was in D.C. We were all stoked ready to get our tickets when we heard that the tour was canceled due to John Bonham’s death. I did manage to see Robert Plant years later and he sang a lot of their songs. Not quite the same though.
WOW!
I was in the same boat! They were supposed to be coming to the Merriwether Post Pavilion, and I was lined up for tickets. It was going to be my very first Zepp concert and I was seriously stoked. Major disappointment there….
Ah, ah,
We come from the land of the ice and snow,
From the midnight sun where the hot springs blow.
The hammer of the gods will drive our ships to new lands,
To fight the horde, singing and crying: Valhalla, I am coming!
SKOL!
Cool
Was it Merriwether Post? I can’t recall. I just remember it was in the D.C. area. For some reason I was thinking it was at the US Air Arena (when it was called by another name). Been so long ago. It’s a damn shame that band ended like it did though. Definitely in the top four all time of British bands.
yea
95% of rookies struggle in blitz pick up when they first enter the league. NFL blitz schemes are so much more sophisticated and NFL players are so much more physical, it’s not very surprising.
I know Young is not particularly good at blocking. I believe Ian Johnson is better but still inexperienced. I’d prefer someone whose blitz pickup is a strength rather than passable at this point. After the Saints game, we will likely be seeing even more blitzes next year.
by Cobra312004 on Feb 26, 2010 12:26 AM CST up reply actions
Taylor if only for...
The fact that he consistently confuses the TV announcers and audience at least 2-3 times a game when he gets the ball.
I know I’ve done the “GO AY PEE….I MEAN CHESTER!!” many times in the past couple seasons. I don’t want to get rid of that!
by Eric J. Thompson on Feb 24, 2010 1:11 PM CST reply actions
LT!
Cmon this guy can still run. And just think what he could teach #28. A vet like him could not only coach him but create motivation for AP to not fumble and get pulled.
smoke em' if you got em'
by Torch24 on Feb 24, 2010 4:51 PM CST via mobile reply actions
I wish
they would try percy out at rb. he is a great slot receiver, but when i have seen him run the ball something just looks natural about it like he could possibly even be a better running back than receiver. what a great problem to have
question can he pass block?
You need at least on RB that you can use in run and pass blocking scenarios. If you don’t have that you need to stick a FB back there or hope your QB is wiley enough not to get pasted.
It's a lot easier to love the Vikings when they win...
If Ian or Albert can't pick up a Blitz by now than we better be drafting a rookie
like Dixon that has shown that ability in college. I expect great improvement from both of our bench warmers this year.
I am simply not into this idea of loading up the most injury prone position in football with guys that get cut from their teams because they are older, injury prone, or less productive than the position deserves. I know they have great reputations. But really San Diego and Philly are not stupid NFL front offices.
If these guys still had it they would have done everything possible to keep them. They CUT them for God’s sake.
Lets just resign Chester or draft a new guy. Nothing difficult about that.
Winning is not everything but it sure feels like it sometimes
It's also a business
It’s hard to say for sure the specific piece of straw that broke the camels back of why they were cut but you know money was part of it. They were not playing up to the amount of money they had coming in, no two ways about it. And in Philly, they already had Westbrook’s replacement in place so it was an easy decision.
by Cobra312004 on Feb 26, 2010 12:30 AM CST up reply actions
No queston its a business. You are correct on that count.
But the contracts of these players were not renegotiated. These players weren’t traded (even for very low draft picks). These players were an important part of the business of the teams that released them.
These players were cut. I won’t go as far to say that either of these two can’t produce on the field. But I stand by my thinking that running backs over 30, that have shown diminishing skills or constant injuries, should not be brought on a Vikings team that is a Superbowl contender.
I feel the same way about Moss because of his age and diminishing stats.
I do not feel that way about younger free agents or players in their prime that show great skills and can help the Vikings in areas of weakness.
Winning is not everything but it sure feels like it sometimes
by lifelongvike on Feb 26, 2010 6:42 AM CST up reply actions
Latest info
The latest buzz I have heard is that LT would fit with a power blocking team better than a zone-blocking team. Second, he’s not great at pass-blocking. In short, LT is probably out.
On the other hand, Westbrook is great at pass-blocking. He is a walking trauma victim, with nagging injuries in his knee and ankle, and the near-death experience he had last year, and his now extremely fragile brain. Putting all this aside, apparently our brain trust believes that Westbrook is the man. I sincerely hope we do not sign Westbrook. He needs to retire while he still has what’s left of his health.
In positive news, Rube Chat was buzzing tonight about Albert Young. On Vikings Weekly, they apparently talked him up as an Iowa product, and said he could pass-block. In other words, he moves up one spot on the depth chart and takes over for Chester. That would leave open a spot on the roster for another running back, and Ian Johnson would seem like the leading candidate to take that as of now.
In short, between Westbrook, Young, and Johnson, it is unlikely the Vikings will draft a running back.
Fullback, though, is kind of unknown. I would expect Tahi to return, but it’s an unknown.
saved the bad news for last
Word is, Chester Taylor is almost certainly done as a Viking. This is the news that really sucks for us fans.
by medicineball on Mar 3, 2010 10:00 PM CST up reply actions
It really sucks for the Vikings, too
Ah, ah,
We come from the land of the ice and snow,
From the midnight sun where the hot springs blow.
The hammer of the gods will drive our ships to new lands,
To fight the horde, singing and crying: Valhalla, I am coming!
SKOL!
Wow where did you read this?
And what are these people thinking? Getting rid of Ray and Chester. Boggles my mind, you’d think a team that just made it within inches of the superbowl would keep the people that took them there.
Bright side is we could pick up a UFA now, but I’m not really sure who we’d be looking at that would make as much of an impact as CT. Damn this put a damper on my whole day, and I was feeling so good after hearing the news about TJ.
It's a lot easier to love the Vikings when they win...
I heard it on NFL Network Total Access. Let’s see…..
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-total-access/09000d5d816b5283/For-hire
Fullbacks
With Tahi tendered at the lowest possible level, the Vikings might draft a fullback this year or pick up an undrafted free agent fullback, to bring into training camp and see what they’ve got.
Prospects include
John Conner, Kentucky
Rashawn Jackson, Virginia
A longer list is at:
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/prospectrankings/TSX/2010_FB
Interesting Article on Westbrook
Vikings should basically rule out Westbrook.
http://www.sbnation.com/2010/3/2/1333376/brian-westbrook-cut-eagles-vikings
Brian needs to play on grass & not turf due to knee injuries in the past years. Add the additional recent other injuries and most people would be weary to take him.
Officially goes on the market come March 5th, but I don’t think we’ll see anyone chomping at the bit for him.
It looks like we would fill this position from in house anyway
Which actually I’m completly cool with. I would really like to see what some of the new guys can do. Young is blazing fast, and is supposed to be a good pass blocker and catcher.
It's a lot easier to love the Vikings when they win...
Not a problem with me..
By losing C. Taylor, that opens up the doors to bring in other people… Due to the Top-8 Rule…. If Chester happened to stay, I would be fine with that since he is experienced, reliable, and works great in clutch situations.
Sometimes, it seems as if he is capable of out-rushing AP.
RB Thomas Jones from NY Jets
Id rather have him than Westbrook or LT. 1st priority is to get Taylor back, IF NOT then Thomas Jones would be awesome.
Skol Vikings!!
He’s a very good back, but apparently he called out Favre when he was with the Jets. It probably won’t happen with the Vikings. Thomas Jones is a great running back, though.
Called-out Favre?
How so?
And it would be interesting, considering Jets are a team that tends to rush often. I believe they rush the most out of the league over passing. Their defense this year helped bring them a long way.
Thomas Jones Now released by Jets
Vikings must make a run at him. 2 yr contract, 3 million a season.
Skol Vikings!!
Pure Fact
Favre should have been benched for those 3 ints in a half!. I still want him on the Vikings. Cheaper than Taylor, has carried a team an entire season.
Skol Vikings!!
I would actually like to see what Young brings to the table.
He’s been sitting behind two great backs and I think he has a lot of upside to bring to the table. As well he’ll bring some fresh legs, soft hands and a great burst of speed. There has to be a reason Chilly and Co have kept him.
It's a lot easier to love the Vikings when they win...
Better Young than Westbrook
Westbrook just has too many negatives.
Young only had 12 touches last year, but he pulled an average 4.4 yards and didn’t fumble even once. I don’t think he had any receptions, but he never came in when Favre was under center, either.
Ah, ah,
We come from the land of the ice and snow,
From the midnight sun where the hot springs blow.
The hammer of the gods will drive our ships to new lands,
To fight the horde, singing and crying: Valhalla, I am coming!
SKOL!
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