Looking Back at the Off-Season
by Ted Glover on Jun 24, 2010 12:17 PM CDT
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PrintWell, I have to tell you--this is a brutal time to be a blogger for a pro football team. There's really nothing going on until training camp, so unless there's some off the field distraction that sucks all the oxygen out of Mississippi the room, there's nothing really to talk about. Usually, there's some starting jobs that are up for debate, there are injuries that need to be talked about, or there's a coaching change. Well, there are no starting jobs up for grabs, Cedric Griffin is the only seriously injured Viking of consequence, and Chilly just got an extension. Hey! We could talk about Brett Favre!! Huh? He's coming back? Are you sure about that? Really? Oh, okay. Crap.
Well, let's review the off-season, then. And give them arbitrary, random grades, just for the hell of it.
Free Agency: B. Let's remember a few things about free agency, at least where it concerned the Vikings this past off-season. The Vikings, being a conference semi-finalist, could only sign an unrestricted free agent when they lost one, plus some weird salary rules. No starters were scheduled to become unrestricted free agents, and the Vikings have no serious weaknesses in comparison to other teams. And quite frankly, the free agency class wasn't all that deep in positions of need that the Vikings did have. The two most important UFA's were RB Chester Taylor and reserve lineman Artis Hicks. They both left for an opportunity to start elsewhere. To replace Taylor, the Vikings initially made a serious run at LaDainian Tomlinson, the best running back in football...four years ago. It's been speculated that Tomlinson is on his last legs, and doesn't have much left, and the Vikes addessed the RB situation in a couple of ways, one of which was signing Ryan Moats, and also moving WR Darius Reynaud to the RB position. They also had DB and DL depth issues, but addressed those by re-signing a rejuvenated Jimmy Kennedy to back up the Williams Wall, and vet DB's Lito Sheppard (UFA) and Benny Sapp. They also added kickoff specialist Rhys Lloyd, to improve touchbacks on kickoffs. All restricted free agents, to include Ray Edwards and Tarvaris Jackson, are back in the fold.
No, there were no 'splash' signings, but no splash signings were needed, unlike in years past.
Draft: Incomplete. You can't evaluate a draft class for awhile, but needs were addressed with early picks. I didn't agree with the trade to Detroit out of the first round, but they ended up with DB Chris Cook, who seems like he will be a good fit for the cover-2, and I think it's fair to say he will be fighting for playing time at either the nickel or dime positions, and even towards a starting job, based on Cedric Griffin's status. Toby Gerhart has to be one of the favorites to win the third down back job, but as the draft goes farther and farther into the rearview mirror, I think DE Everson Griffen could very well be the star of this calss in four or five years...as long as he keeps the positive attitude that he has shown in OTA's. They also drafted Hicks' replacement in the 5th round by selecting OL Chris DeGeare.
Starcaps: Heh heh heh. Kind of a good news, bad better news. Just yesterday, a state appeals court refused to allow an expedited hearing request by the NFL, meaning that there's little chance either Kevin or Pat WIlliams will miss any playing time. Every time it looks like the NFL might be getting the upper hand on this, they get slapped smack in the face by the court system, and however this pans out, the NFL looks like a bunch of amateurs. I think our erstwhile defensive linemen have a very good chance of winning this case and sending a ripple through all labor relations drug testing agreements.
Overall: B+. This is a stable, veteran team with Super Bowl talent and aspirations, assuming Favre comes back. And he is. When your biggest loss is a backup running back and offensive lineman, you're in good shape. Steve Hutchinson needs to rebound from his shoulder injury, as does Cedric Griffin from his knee, but that's it. They have exciting prospects coming in with the talent to push the vets for playing time, and the core of the defensive line will be available for all of 2010.
It's a good time to be a Vikings fan. Let's look forward to training camp and enjoy the ride!
SKOL!
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I know what you mean, not every moment of the year is there big news to blog about. if you ever want to read my blog about the minnesota vikings its at http://vikingsfootballhome.blogspot.com/
by MNTicketKingIntern on Jun 24, 2010 1:53 PM CDT reply actions
OL
Much of this season is based on the assumption that the OL will be as healthy and good as they were 2-3 years ago, but even then those OLs were not great in the first place.
True
But having Hutch back from that nagging injury and a year under Loadholt and Sully’s enormous belts should help a heck of a lot.
McKinnie might lose a step, but as long as we are not a zone blocking team we should be fine… Oh, wait. We DO run a zone blocking scheme… Crap.
Yes, but
It’s like having a number of stars align. If Hutch is 100% recovered AND doesn’t get hurt again AND Herrera is 100% AND doesn’t get hurt again AND last year’s first-year starters improve x2 AND nobody else gets hurt x3 = about 10 stars need to line up for this line to be average to slightly better than average. We’re not having one of the best OLs in the league, even in the most favorable circumstances.
Offensive Line
This was my single biggest concern (other than the chimerical QBOTF) when the last season ended, and instead of seeing significant steps to improve it, all I’ve seen are excuses for why it sucked so bad last year and why the Hoovering should be alleviated this year. In this, I have to trust in Chilly’s evaluations and hope that I’m wrong. Fair enough.
But if Chilly was wrong, I’m going to be hoping someone takes him out to the woodshed, financially or otherwise.
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!
My thoughts
If the FO thought the O-line was bad, they would have done something about it via draft & free agency.
I’m assuming Chilly is letting the rookies find their place on the line.
I see that we should have an improvement on our line, just nothing really too huge.
Herrera
He wasn’t a rookie, and he has performed below average for the past 3 seasons. Really, with Loadholt on the line, that RG should be a plus run blocker and an adequate pass blocker, but Herrera is neither.
I think it’s very difficult to justify trading a 2nd and 3rd round pick to move up to take a role-player like a 3rd down back since the picks could have been used on a new/future starter at RG and whatever they wanted (perhaps a QBotF or 3drb…maybe Gerhart falls to them anyway and they still get to use that extra pick). Westbrook could have been signed after the draft to be a 3drb or Reynaud or Albert Young or Percy Harvin could have played that role instead, but they acted like 3drb was the most important thing and as if they had no other options.
I wouldn't have signed Westbrook.
As a 3rd down back he probably has some juice left, but we would have invested a bunch of time into him and then he would have bumped his head and retired.
I have to say that Gerhart was a steal where we got him, and we desperately needed a guy who could fill the gap left by Chester as well as come in should AP get injured. That seems to be the part you are missing.
Think about it, would you really be comfortable with Westbrook as our #1 RB if AP goes down? I wouldn’t.
But I would feel very comfortable with Gerhart back there.
Westbrook would probably stay healthy as a 3rd down back. I didn’t mean that he should have been plan A, but a very good last resort depending on where Albert Young and/or Reynaud and/or Harvin would rank in that regard.
There were questions about whether Gerhart could really be a starting RB in the NFL from the beginning, and I’m withholding judgment on that until much later this year. Even if I could have the same confidence in Gerhart that you have, it would still beg the question of whether a backup/role-playing RB was worth more to this team than a new RG who could possibly replace a guy who has been disappointing and well below average for 3 years running AND somebody else (perhaps Ben Tate or another 3drb).
Agreed
I wonder if the OL wasn’t addressed just because they didn’t feel like plugging in any new guys, partially in terms of liking what they had (despite their ineffectiveness—Herrera has basically been a below average starting guard for 3+ years now) and partially because they got caught up in drafting players who would see the field immediately at other positions. They didn’t want to give up on McKinnie just yet because they were paying him so much and because his performance was still pretty good as a run blocker. That much makes sense, but I can’t imagine why they didn’t want to upgrade RG considering that Herrera looks like one of those lightning in a bottle sorts of guys that will never match his peak again.
Wouldn’t it be nice to have an OL that could run block to either side and pass block more effectively? That seems like it should be a no-brainer.
Improving the O-line was important, for sure.
But defensive back was an area we needed to address, Gerhart was almost a necessity with the loss of Taylor and Griffen was BPA.
Degeare was a good pick in round 5 and might turn out to be a steal.
We agree that a RB needed to be drafted, but we disagree about whether it was worth burning 2 premium picks for a particular RB (who may be more of a FB at the NFL level and hadn’t been utilized as a receiver much in college, no less). I can’t prove it, of course, but to me they chose Gerhart alone < (an OL like Asamoah + another RB like Ben Tate).
We’ll see about Degeare, a raw talent project type who may not even see the field as a reserve this year. The problem with projects is that the team often finds someone better before they’re fully up to speed, or they get too much time on the field just because of the extra coaching that was put into them (Ryan Cook is almost an example of both). So we’ll see eventually, but I’m not getting my hopes up now.
One more thing about Degeare
If he can play RG, then I am suddenly excited about him. I’ve only read things that label him a T, though.
Degeare
He was a starter at RG for 3 years then his coach at WF moved him to LT because he wanted his best OL playing LT. He also did play some LG so he has some versitility to him. He has the potential to be great, even all-pro, but it’s up to him to put in the work. He could be special.let’s hope so.
I gotta agree with KC
Everything has to align and we cannot afford any injuries for the OL to be better.
As he said, we are hoping guys come back from injuries and regain their form and that they do not get injured again and that the young guys get better. Plus the backups are not up to par unless we sign Pitts.
While I still believe that the Vikings can make it to the Super Bowl even with this line, it will not be easy and we will have to be fortunate injury wise (as all teams need to be).
I am supportive of the picks (now) but I cannot lie and say I did not want to get an OL earlier.
There still is time to get additions to the line though. They want to check out Pitts and they may even trade for someone if things are not working out during the preseason.
Considering that overall health is a “star” that needs to align whether or not a player is coming off an injury, surgery, or has been perfectly healthy and needs to align every year, shouldn’t it be a constant and not a “star”? So really out of your “star” metric you only have to worry about last years first-year starters improving and you’re “stars” go from 10 to 2.
Not so much for this team
I agree in principle, but the fact is that the Vikings have played very poorly when 1 or more of the OL were injured. For some teams, it is more of a constant because they have guys who fill in seamlessly (which has happened before with the Vikings, just not very recently). The bigger point is that the team is hoping to return to the OL of about 2 years ago, which wasn’t so great anyway.
It would be really helpful if the team could run to the right, for instance. The D already expects a handoff to AP on almost all 1st downs (pre-Favre, especially) and most 2nd downs before getting the ball to the new guy in the backfield on about 80% of 3rd downs. They also know that those rushing attempts will be to the left 2/3 of the time. No wonder AP’s ypc has declined, at least in part because of this.
the Vikings have played very poorly when 1 or more of the OL were injured.
That’s not something that only applies for the Vikings. There isn’t a team out there that is as good or better off when any of their starting line goes down with an injury. Not only is the back up generally less talented, but they don’t have the game experience to simply be a “plug and play” player. The Vikings certainly weren’t better off last year when Hicks had to make a start or come in.
The bigger point is that the team is hoping to return to the OL of about 2 years ago, which wasn’t so great anyway.
I am willing to bet they aren’t setting any kind of ceiling like that and are much more inclined to have the line play improve each season. No one from the organization is saying they want the line to be as good as any other point in Vikings history. Just that they want them to play their best which they seem to believe is more than enough for this team to be successful (In the last three years: Most wins by an NFC team, two divisional championships, and an appearance in the NFCCG)
It would be really helpful if the team could run to the right, for instance
According to everyones new favorite soucre, Peterson ran for more yards behind the RE (51 carries, 277 yards) than LE (57 carries, 247 yards) and RT (42/198) than LT (36/185). Improving how well they rush to the interior right would be nice, but its hard for most players to play up to Hutchinson’s level.
Not saying that depth isn’t an issue, but the starters are pretty good together and with improved play from the younger players, the line will be even better.
They need to be at least as effective as the 2007 OL.
There have been times when the depth players became starters because they played as well or better than they guys they replaced. That’s how Hicks and Herrera became starters.
Here’s what I mean by getting back to 2007’s OL. In that year, the Vikings had the 6th best T (McKinnie), the 34th best T (Cook), 18th best C (Birk), 2nd best G (Hutch) and 47th best G (Herrera) for an average rank of 21.4. Birk and Hutch were Pro Bowlers that year.
In 2008, they had the 19th best T (McKinnie), 48th best T (Hicks/Cook), 4th best G (Hutch), 64th best G (Herrera) and 11th best C (Birk) for an average rank of 29.2. Only Hutch went to Hawai’i.
In 2009, they had the 33rd (McKinnie) and 47th (Loadholt) best Ts, 37th (Hutch) and 70th (Herrera) best Gs and the 28th best C (Sullivan) for an average rank of 43.0. No Viking OL went to the Pro Bowl. Matt Birk tied for the 2nd/3rd best C in the league last year, and had his services been retained, there only would have been one first year starter struggling out there.
By those numbers, they were twice as bad in 2009 as they were in 2007, so one would hope that they are setting the bar at least as high as returning to 2007 again. If not, then we could be in for a long and depressing season since they won’t be able to rely on an easy schedule again. They are planning to do this with worst player from all three seasons starting again—surprisingly not Ryan Cook, bad as he was, but Anthony Herrera. Loadholt must improve by about 15 ranks and Sullivan must improve by about 10 in their second years of starting. Hutch and McKinnie need to rebound all the way into the top five to make up for Herrera’s presence and Loadholt’s and Sullivan’s projected improvement to mediocre/above average.
The stats you posted at the end indicate that he ran most often to the LE (most attempts). According to Football Outsiders, the Vikings had the 20th best line in 2009, and their most productive part of the line was LT with the 7th best Adjusted Line Yards per attempt.
Depth players can indeed become starters, but neither Hicks nor Herrera were immediate starters and never been All-Pros, they got play time as backups and they improved. Kind of like how some people think Loadholt and Sullivan can improve with experience.
Personally, I don’t take too much stock in the “ranking” of individual offensive line players. Not sure where you are getting the rankings, but they all boil down to opinion and while FBO ranks guys one way, PFR ranks them another, and PFF ranks them a third way and so on. There is no stat for judging lineman individually, like for instance QB rating with QBs, so its more people watching film with opinions and everyone has one. IMO, overall offense is a better way to judge the O-line as a whole. Never is football more of a team game than on the lines. O-lines that play well together, help create more yards and score more points.
2007: 336.2 yards/gm, 22.8 points/gm
2008: 330.9 yards/gm, 23.7 points/gm
2009: 379.6 yards/gm, 29.4 points/gm
Obviously other factors go into these stats as having an All-Pro RB and QB can really improve them (see the jump from ‘08-’09), but these All-Pros wouldn’t be able to operate at that level without time to throw and lanes to run through. Microcosms of his would be the Vikings vs GB games or the Carolina game. Aaron Rodgers is obviously a good QB, but he had little to no time to throw the ball and the team had less room to run. Their O-line couldn’t get it done. The reverse in Carolina where the Vikings line couldn’t protect its skill players and they couldn’t score enough points because of it. Once you start talking about players needing to improve their rankings you go right back into the “opinion” territory.
Yes they had more attempts to the LE, but only 6 more attempts with 30 less yards. So to imply that the Vikings couldn’t run to the right when they were actually more successful at it seems off base.
RE: 51 carries, 277 yards, 5.43 yrds/rush
VS
LE: 57 carries, 247 yards, 4.33 yrds/rush
And in the FBO link you have, they have the Vikings Adjusted Line Yards as the same for runs to the Left End and Right End at 3.83 yards/rush. They definitely ran better behind McKinnie than Loadholt, but McKinnie>Loadholt so that is hardly a surprise.
I thought of those 2 examples from recent Vikings history, and both were better than Anthony Herrera. I’m sure that other teams have had backups emerge into starters following an injury at OL positions. It’s certainly happened at QB.
Pro Football Focus was the source of the individual OL rankings. Those are based on pass blocking, screen blocking, run blocking and penalties and those are based on rankings of and/or per snaps data (sacks allowed, QB hits allowed, # of penalties and off-setting or declined penalties, QB pressures allowed, snaps played, etc.).
The real difference in points per game were due to having a future Hall of Famer at QB in 2009. Last year could have been even better with a decent line. The Vikings really shouldn’t have needed to win the SF and GB games in the last few minutes/seconds, either. Don’t count on those types of finales happening again.
The O-Line ranked 11th overall
That was per the Zulgad / Football Outsiders piece. http://www.startribune.com/sports/vikings/blogs/96815649.html
That is with 2 rookies and a left guard with a bum shoulder. Sullivan and Loadholt made it through the year improving every step of the way and Hutchinson had his shoulder procedure and will be healthy come time for camp. Barring injury, the Vikings will have a better line this year than last.
It may take a village to raise a child, but it takes a Viking to raze a village.
by Luft Krigare on Jun 26, 2010 5:55 AM CDT up reply actions
That is a preseason opinion ranking.
Judd Zulgad was quoting a piece by Jason Cole of Y! Sports, and you should read at least the first sentence of that because he admits that preseason rankings (without stats) is far from precise:
Grading offensive lines in this era of the NFL is sort of like judging a chili contest without knowing how to differentiate between a jalapeno, a habanero and a Scotch bonnet pepper.
He later goes on to point out that, based on performance, the Vikings’ OL performed poorly last year (14th in pass blocking, 20th in run efficiency, and to say nothing about penalties).
Here are the Football Outsiders performance-based ranks of OL over the past 3 years (overall rank and the 2 best subcategories in terms of Adjusted Line Yards):
2007: 13th overall, LE and Mid/Guard both ranked 9th
2008: 12th overall, LT 7th and RE 8th
2009: 20th overall, LT 7th and Mid/Guard 16th
True, most of these sites ranking O-Line aren’t even considering the scheme being run and what is being asked of individual line men. They are all opinions, but I tend to agree more with Athlon Sports:
“The group needs to show more consistency. With two new starters in 2009, the line struggled at times and contributed to problems in the run game. Left guard Steve Hutchinson is still an elite player, but left tackle Bryant McKinnie must give a more consistent effort. Center John Sullivan had a bull’seye on him last season as the replacement for long time Viking Matt Birk. Sullivan did a decent job, particularly against much larger nose tackles, but the Vikings are counting on him to make big strides this season. Sullivan compensates for his lack of size by using quickness and savvy. Right tackle Phil Loadholt returns after a promising rookie season in which he proved to be better in pass protection than originally thought. HE is a tough, hard nosed competitor who could be a staple on the line for years. Anthony Herrera returns at right guard, but a lack of depth up front is a concern. The Vikings lost their top backup, Artis Hicks, to Washington in free agency and need to find someone who can play multiple positions. GRADE: B-”
Interesting
I’ve never liked Athlon Sports for fantasy baseball, but I’ve never paid attention to it this time of year for football, so I won’t make any assumptions. Isn’t that roughly what other publications/websites and DN posters would have said, though? At least FO and PFF attempt to be scientific and performance-based. That grade also fails to take into account that Herrera has been horrible for 3 years.
Fix is in...
assuming Favre is playing, gets to the playoff stage. The fix will be in for him to go out a winner, the story is just too good. The Saints just had the better story last year.
19-0!
I will be there in person to see some REVENGE on Sept 9th,2010!
Brett Favre is the Greatest QB in NFL History, Bar None!
Brett Favre will be back in 2010, Guaranteed!
Brett Favre will lead the Vikings to a Victory in Super Bowl XLV, Guaranteed!
Didn't you, uh...
say that last year? How’d that go?
This is the real deal, Guaranteed!
I will be there in person to see some REVENGE on Sept 9th,2010!
Brett Favre is the Greatest QB in NFL History, Bar None!
Brett Favre will be back in 2010, Guaranteed!
Brett Favre will lead the Vikings to a Victory in Super Bowl XLV, Guaranteed!
by REVENGE4FAVRE on Jun 25, 2010 1:25 AM CDT up reply actions
I've come to think of him as a cheerleader...
One without the great legs, and bouncy rack, and cute face….
But I do think he has pom-poms! :)
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!
Besides the possibility that Favre might not come back and we would therefore have to field the JV quarterback, there is also the very real possibility that he wouldn’t be able to come close to duplicating one of his best seasons ever if he did come back. Seems like a lot of Vikings fans are relying heavily on both of those things—the return AND the Pro Bowl performance.
We also have a suspect pass defense. We really need some stepped-up performances from a group of DBs.
Lots of questions, but probably no more than most other teams. I think we’re in the playoffs and have a good shot at repeating a great season if Favre comes back.
I really don't see a reason to doubt Favre
He’s been playing lights out football the last 3 years with multiple clubs. Trust me, I was waiting for the ‘This is gonna be his terrible season!’ for the last couple years, except when we got him of course, but he’s proven me wrong over and over. So I’m not gonna doubt him anymore. He could probably play until his arm falls off or he finally loses his love for the game.
The pass defense is only suspect
Because we have the best run defense in the league. 1st in ’06, ’07, ’08 and 2nd in ’09.
If people can’t run on you, they are going to focus on the pass. Which is why our pass defense appears to be suspect.
Nevermind the fact that Winfield was gimped up for almost the entire year last year and we played Karl Paymah.
It's deeper than that.
The NFL is a pass-heavy league, and the rules favor the pass in the first place. Most teams except the Vikings have taken advantage of that on the offensive side and schemed to stop, rather than merely contain, the pass on the defensive side.
Tampa-2 isn’t new anymore, and the best D in the league last year (overall and vs. the pass) was NYJ’s which included more man-to-man coverage.
With 2 games vs. Rodgers + 2 games vs. Cutler + 2 games vs. Stafford (assuming that he will be really good, as projected), that’s already 6 pass-heavy games guaranteed every year for the foreseeable future. It’s time to shake things off. Just as the prevent D doesn’t necessarily prevent a TD, the Cover-2 (especially when run all the time) doesn’t necessarily cover anyone.
Good points.
The biggest talking point I remember about Asher Allen was how he was likely the best man-to-man coverage corner in the draft that year, maybe Frasier is looking to switch it up a bit.
6 games against great QBs is a scary thought that I really had not considered (Yes, I think Stafford will be great). Cutler will likely have a much better relationship with his receivers, line and back this year than last, unless his attitude rubs the guys the wrong way.
Sorta true
“If people can’t run on you, they are going to focus on the pass. Which is why our pass defense appears to be suspect.
Nevermind the fact that Winfield was gimped up for almost the entire year last year and we played Karl Paymah."
Sometimes a team with a good run defense will be just the opposite in pass defense but not always. And it’s really no excuse imo. If we concentrated on getting good players at DB and abandoned the Cover-2 system, we could do well at both. Green Bay, the Jets, Bengals, and Ravens are all in the top 8 in pass and run D. So why can’t we be there too instead of just settling on great run D?
Like KC Viking says below, it’s a passing league now. It’s nice to stop the run but the pass is what beats you more often than the run.
The injury to Winfield, coupled with his age (33) is something of concern too. Our other starting CB had a major injury as well. Our other CBs are either completely inexperienced or very uninspiring. The safeties are often beaten and even have bouts of miss-tackle-itis. If you can’t cover you’d better be able to tackle, but that wasn’t the case with Williams and Johnson.
We’ve got some issues there you must admit.
by Bodysuit Man on Jun 26, 2010 8:42 AM CDT up reply actions
Oh, I never said there was not issues.
But I did word it like that was the ONLY reason our pass D looked bad.
Yes, our pass defense is our weak point. Hopefully the moves we have made in the last 2 offseasons will help. But our secondary gets a lot of heat for being weak, when they really are at a disadvantage.
McKinnie didn't play bad all year in 2009
Remember, he got hurt toward the end of the season too. Foot injury was a disaster for him against Arizona and Carolina. If anything, I like the starters for 2010 but am worried about the lack of depth.
Yes, he did
His issues didn’t start at the end of the season, and it wasn’t all injury. The man lacks motivation, and that’s the nicest way I can think of to say it.
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!
I disagree about Toby being the 3rd down back
I keep reading this and I just do not get it.
It is time for AP to be the 3rd down back. It is the most critical down during drives and we need our best back on the field on that down.
He caught more passes than Chester last year and if he wants a big contract then he will have to be an every down back. It is time for him to assume this role.
I seriously doubt (and I hope not) that Toby will see more action on 3rd downs than AP.
I think Toby will give AP breaks on 1st & 2nd down more often than not.
The team has tried to limit AP’s workload, which is probably smart. A 3drb is one of the easiest ways to do that. Look at what happened to Larry Johnson…oh, man, was that a rapid decline. Jamaal Charles was a better 3drb all along and look how good he turned out to be, even on the awful, non-playoff Chiefs.
Being a 3rd down back is more than just catching passes.
A pair of fresh legs, the ability to pick up blitzes and protect the QB is just as important.
AP has not shown that he can’t be a blocker, but he also has not shined as a blocker either. It remains to be seen how well Gerhart can block in the NFL, but this is one of the opinions of him:
“Has the power to knock a blitzer off his feet. Strong technique as a blocker that delivers a pop, but also sticks to his man. Very reliable to make the smart decisions while protecting the quarterback.” from Mocking the Draft.
Could be but ...
If it were up to me AP would be on the field on 3rd downs. I want the ball in his hands as much as possible and especially on swing passes or dump offs.
He did catch 43 passes last year so that area is looking up for him.
All I know is I would rather see him on the field on the critical 3rd downs.
He will get better at pass blocking and if he does not then they will put somebody else back there.
I bet that he will get most of the 3rd down snaps next year.
Don't get me wrong
AP likely WILL be on the field for critical 3rd downs.
But for the non-critical downs, I would rather prolong AP’s shelf life a year or two by giving Gerhart a chance to show what he can do.
Fair point
‘Primary Backup’ is probably a better label than ‘3rd down back’.
"Whoever said that the pen is mightier than the sword never encountered automatic weapons."
Ahh the rankings....
I remember posting the article that had us ranked at 11. But we became more of a passing team and started to abandon the run towards the later part of the season.
Most of the overall rankings will take into account of everything, penalties, sacks, yards gained by rushing, protection by passing. Being ranked 11th and nearly making the Superbowl (1 play away), is nothing to be ashamed about when talking about our O-line. Out of that ranking where we were 11th, several other teams with a worse rank made it to the playoffs. Not to knock on the Packers, but I think they were ranked the worst out of all teams to make the playoff(s). I think their ranking was 25 or something close to that. Knowing that ranking can really make a guy wonder when the Packers had a great defense and Rodgers is actually a decent QB. GB will like always, be a threat again this year. They should have a decent season unless a key player goes down due to injury….
Our focus this year should be to keep our O-line healthy and top-notch. I want to see an O-line that can bust open holes on run plays and protect Favre on passes. Someone made a point that the O-line started getting used to playing closer and closer on the blogs towards the later part of the season. I think our last great game where the run game was very effective was against the Bengals. They had very tight-covering corners forcing us to run more often leaving Favre as a game-manager.
Both AP & CT had a pretty good game.. I expect the same sort of game plan out of the Vikings this year when we go up against the Jets this year. The downside this year is that it will be away game (posing a disadvantage for us).
But, once again, we are playing a team that Favre once played for, so, that emotion could make him play great. (i.e., against Packers and his best QB rating when playing Oakland).
I like that our O-line is basically the same as last year. No worries of any new adjustments… So we should be fresh and ready to go right off the start of the season. Vikings tend to have great starts (Favre included), but tend to falter towards the end of the season. Is it more of a giving up per say? Or are players not resting themselves correctly at that point? Who knows, but I doubt we would likely have an undfeated season, but hopefully a great seaosn.
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