Lingering Questions as We Head to Training Camp
by Ted Glover on Jul 8, 2010 4:58 PM CDT
in Minnesota Vikings
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We are inside a month until training camp opens, and although the Vikings enter 2010 as one of the NFC's favorites to go to the Super Bowl, there are a list of questions that need to be answered. Well, first they need to be asked. So, let's ask them, and then we'll answer them!!
I've got five for today, and then five for tomorrow. And hey, if there's a question that isn't on the list, ask it, and let the members of DN answer it. Or, you can do like me and answer it yourself.
Your call.
1. Can Favre repeat his 2009 performance?
It’s July, so let’s get out the tired storylines: He’s too old, he’s going to get hurt, he can’t keep producing, and he’s going to throw a lot of picks. We all heard it, we all said it, and until he came to Minnesota, most of us hoped for it. Don’t lie, you know you did. I’m done doubting him. The guy can flat out play, and if he can’t be knocked out of the NFC Championship after the beating he was taking, it’s just not going to happen. He knows the offense cold, he has the best running back in the game, and talented receivers four deep. The schedule is tougher, and the TD:Int ratio probably won’t stay at 33:9, but Favre is the least of the Vikings problems entering 2010.
2. Is the o-line healthy?
The interior of the Vikings offensive line was in flux all season. Steve Hutchinson had a shoulder injury that he played through, but it affected his performance. John Sullivan was trying to fill the enormous shoes of Matt Birk, rookie Phil Loadholt was starting at right tackle, and scrapper Anthony Herrera was dealing with nagging injuries as well. The play of the offensive line suffered, which caused the Vikings rushing attack to falter at times, and exposed Favre to some hard hits. Hutch and Herrera are healthy, and Sullivan and Loadholt are no longer rookies. The line will be better, and it will make the offense better, mark my words.
3. Can Toby Gerhart fill Chester Taylor’s shoes?
Let me say a couple of things here. First, (and I’ve said this before) if one of the biggest question marks from an offensive standpoint is whether or not your new backup running back can play as well as your old backup running back, you’re in pretty good shape offensively. Chester Taylor was a great role player for the Vikings, and I expect Toby Gerhart will be the same. Gerhart is a different type of player than Taylor, and I think we will see him in more than third down situations. I like the potential he brings to the offense, and will make an explosive unit even better.
4. Is Ray Edwards going to sign an extension?
Yeah, he probably will. I think what most people overlook in this whole deal isn’t Ray’s beef with the Vikings, it was his beef with the situation he found himself in. He went from an unrestricted free agent to a restricted free agent, and probably lost money in the process. After his post-season performance, someone would’ve given him a good contract. He’s still making great money, almost a 100% pay raise, but he needs to play one more season until a big contract or contract extension. Unless, of courser, there’s no football in 2011. Or Everson Griffen beats himn out of a job.
5. Will the WIlliams Wall stand for 2010?
Reports of the demise of the Vikings defensive line have been greatly exaggerated. Kevin and Pat Williams journey through the legal system continues, and based on certain rulings, they will most likely get to play the entire 2010 season. That’s a good thing, because as good as Jared Allen is, they are the heart and soul of the defense, and without their ability to take away the run, the Vikings defense isn’t nearly as imposing. But they'll be playing, and they'll be dominating---for all 16 games.
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Nicely done. Don’t forget questions about EJ and Antoine and now potentially Sidney too, concerning if they can bounce back from injury.
p.s. love the picture caption, clever :)
by puddnhead on Jul 8, 2010 5:04 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs
1. Favre will throw more INT’s this year. I think he was very cautious last year.
Now that he knows he’s won the fans over, I think he’ll take more chances.
2. I don’t feel good about the O-Line. Nothings really changed since last year so there’s no reason to…lol.
We lost the best 3rd down RB in the league to a division rival, and Hutch, McKinnie and Kleinsasser are another year older.
3. I have a good feeling about Gerhart. Lets just hope Chilly use’s him right.
I would like to see Gerhart get a few extra carries during the 2nd and 3rd qtrs. Let him tire out opposing defenses, then let AP lay the smack down during the 4th. :)
4. IDK about Edwards. I like him, but I think he could have better #‘s.
He see’s a lot of 1 on 1 match ups, whereas the 3 PB’ers on the line next to him are the ones getting dbl teamed.
5. The Williams Wall will stand tall, and will take retirement for it to fall. :)
I just hope their legal troubles stay away for the entire season.
Something to consider: will the Vikings special teams (mostly kick and punt coverage) stand tall or fold like they did last year?
Case of the beet bandit. Missing beets from all over the farm, no footprints. Inside job. Mose in socks. Boom. Case closed. -Dwight Schrute
They didn't fold last year
they were amazing last year. The only bad play I remember was in the NFC CG where they gave a huge return, but that was because Griffen hurt his knee. He was RIGHT there to make the tackle if his knee hadn’t given out.
Favre will dominate and surpass what he did in 20009!
Favre will win the 2010 NFL MVP!
Favre will lead the Vikings to an undefeated 19-0 record!
You can go to the bank!
Favre will comeback in 2011!
All 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!
Remind me never to go to Vegas with you. With your penchant for horrible guarantees, you’d be sleeping on the street within a day. Or worse.
by Jayrome007 on Jul 9, 2010 9:02 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Easy J007 have a little faith I belive in this team big time and with favre leading there’s no stoping us so you can sit there in your little corner and cover your eyes cause your scared to watch the game to bad for you because you will miss the greatest QB if all time and the greatest viking season of all time when we hold the trophy high at the end of the season. Stick that in your pipe and smoke it. Oh and I wouldn’t want you to go to Vegas with me you would bring me down so on that note smoke um if u got um!
Peterson will dominate and break the single season rushing yardage record.
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!
1. Favre will throw fewer interceptions than last year, because he will pass less. Favre knows that an interception is what kept him from reaching the Super Bowl. He now has two RB’s who can knock the snot out of opposing defenses until the defenders get stupid enough to leave the passing door to the house wide open, at which point he will spank them hard.
2. The O-line is fine.
3. Gerhart will enhance the heavy running game, and hammering defenses until they break can still win football games if you can do so, no disrespect to the late and recently departed Don Coryell.
4.Ray will work through it.
5.The Wall will stand tall. That is all.
1. Favre will throw fewer interceptions than last year, because he will pass less. Favre knows that an interception is what kept him from reaching the Super Bowl.
I hope you’re right about that, but it’s both a judgement thing, and a matter of the ‘blood’. When the competitive fire rises in Favre, will he be content to hand off the rock to a ground-pounder, or will he want to get more directly into the fray? It’s a tough thing for a guy as competitive as Farve, expecting him to be more of a game manager than a field general.
2. The O-line is fine.
We’ll see…
no disrespect to the late and recently departed Don Coryell.
:)
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!
Love all the Home Cookin'
But now for the real crazy talk. Along the lines of my prediction that Delmon Young would be the most productive corner outfielder for the Twins at the Allstar break; it will be none other than T. Jack who wins the first Super Bowl for the Vikes. It very well could be in relief of #4 when he finally goes down and might even be a couple years down the road but you can take it to the bank.
I seriously can't wait for the season to start.
I was pretty damn excited for last year to get underway, but going into the 2010 season I’m as stoked as I’ve been for a great Vikings season since 1998. Something felt special about that season, and it was. Hopefully I’m as right on for this year as I was that one.
i with ya jess..
i find myself reading any viking related twitter updates several times a day? and nothing is really happening! i hate to wish the summer over already but… 60 days til revenge in the bayou!
"the following statement is true:
the preceding statement was false" - george carlin
by BranFavrenton on Jul 9, 2010 3:51 PM CDT up reply actions
Defense
Another question:
Can the defensive secondary improve on takeaways?
We need to capitalize on our big time rush with more interceptions. That, and solid tackling is the key to dominance and a Super Bowl victory. We know we can score but nothing breaks the opponents will like turnovers.
Answer(s)
1) Can Favre repeat his performance? I think it will be very similar. He has had a chance to connect with our receivers a little better, yet, our schedule will be a little tougher. We may try to force the run-game at some point of the season, which may lead to the Vikings passing less. I think with the WCO utilizing short throws, Favre’s accuracy, and intercetpion rate will be low. Teams will focus on particular plays that will open up for the occassional deep pass threat.
2) Will the O-line be better? I would like to believe so. I doubt it will be night & day. I hate to say this, but I think most of us are using the experience and recovering from injury bug a little too much. Obviously, if our O-line had been banged up, our 2nd stringers weren’t good enough to beat out a 1st stringer who is banged up. I would like to see improved performance from the two rookies. McKinnie should improve since he got beat by Peppers. I expect our O-line to dominate early with a fresh line, but could potentially linger late in the season.
3) Well, a drafted player. The FO has done will in drafting players, and well, Gerhart wasn’t our 1st pick. He seems like a hell of a back to have, but we all know he won’t be the premiere back (That’s AP’s job). But, if TG was such a shoe-in, why bring in Moats?? I think the FO may be concerned a little bit….
4) Whether or not we see an extension signed.. I believe Ray Edwards will have a better season this year than last. He may try to give himself value by having a break-out season, or he may be working harder knowing that Everson is probably right behind him in the depth charts. As to if he signs? I would not know, but if Everson is like a Ray 2.0, I’m not going to freak out over the whole deal. Ray has 3 pro-bowlers who make him look good.
5) Seems like they will be able to just delay delay delay all court proceedings. They may have a hearing here/there, but it may not ever amount to anything. Fat Pat may be retired, but that won’t be saying much for Kevin.. If the hammer does fall on them, the only one who may miss out will be Kevin.. Pat may be at home living in retirement by than.
We have tremendous depth at the RB position
and it will be one hell of a training camp battle between Moats, Young, Johnson and Reynaud…did I forget anyone?
The starter will be AD
and AD only unless something terrible happens…crossing fingers.
I do not think the O-line will be better
I hope that they are but I do not see it. I see a steady decline.
Here is a link to an article on ESPN about the line …
http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcnorth/post/_/id/13707/on-the-radar-vikings%E2%80%99-offensive-line
… and here is a little snippet …
But Minnesota’s line needs to be on fans’ radar as the 2010 season approaches. Has the line peaked? It’s possible. The situation isn’t like the 2007 Bears, 2008 Redskins and 2009 Cowboys – all teams that let their lines reach an average age of 31 with five starters in their 30s, but things bear watching.
… We have Hutch at 33 who will turn 33 in November, McKinnie will be 31 in September, Herrera is 30. If they get Pitts he is 31.
I think they can hold up for another year but beyond that it will be dicey.
I do not have much confidence in the backups or the long term prognosis for the offensive line at this point in time.
And without the line, we are toast!
Herrera was the worst of the line so I’m not too worried about him. McKinnie and Hutch both way underperformed career averages. Its not like because they had a bad year last year they are 100% on the decline now.
They definately need to add though the draft though. Loadholt was middling in his first year as was Sullivan, but you could hope they have good arcs front of them. DeGeare could be a dark hoarse to beat out Herrea too.
I have grown to like DeGeare
I wasn’t a huge fan during the draft but that was because I wanted a lineman earlier.
But it is what it is now and the season is upon us.
I think that as the players get older they naturally decline just from all the wear and tear.
There are some exceptions and I think Hutch is the exception.
They definitely need to at least look at a LTOTF this year or before 2011!
I still would trade for Jared Gaither right now to back up McKinnie. We can sign him to a two or three year deal and let McKinnie go after this year. Gaither would be a great backup right now.
huh?
Herrera played horribly and you aren’t worried about him.
McKinnie and Hutch don’t have to be on a 100% decline..a 15% decline kills you.
Loadholt has a genuine excuse as a rookie.
Sullivan is not a very good center.
Pro Football Focushas the vikes line ranked at 25. That’s not enough to get through the playoffs.
I believe mgmt made a big mistake not upgrading the line during the offseason.I realize it’s hard to find guys but we are in deep you know what now.
Aging O-Line
You’re right, Mark, the clock is ticking on those guys.
A while back I did a comparison across HOF O-Linemen to see what their average retirement age was, and it worked out to 33-35 years old. As HOF guys, that’s pretty much the best of the best, so I think it’s fair to say that their last year or two (for most of them) was problem something of a declining period. If that’s so, then we can extrapolate that most O-linemen hit their peak at 31-33 years old, and then they start going downhill.
That means the Hutch, McKinnie, and Hererra are probably on the edge of the cusp. They’re all good for another year, maybe two, before they start declining and will be traded or just released. Yes, some of them might beat the power curve, but it isn’t likely.
Since it takes a year or two for new O-Linemen to mesh with the existing system, it suggests that the time to bring in replacements in order to not experience discontinuity or a decline, is this year and next year.
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!
Agree
I think Hutch is the one HOFer we have and may play well for two more years.
I can only hope McKinnie can do the same.
We did get one lineman in the 5th round so again I must hope he can make the transition from college to the NFL.
We do have some guys that have been on the PS for a year or two that we may have to rely on in case of an emergency.
The front office is really pushing the envelope on this one IMHO.
I am looking for a free agent LT next year for sure.
Answers
i think Gerhart will be able to fill Taylor’s shoes. I hope to see a glimpse of Everson Griffen to see if he can be a long term solution if we didn’t re-sign Ray Edwards next year. I think the O-line should be okay for another year but after that we may need to get a LG.
if u wanna read some more about Da Vikes, visit my Vikes blog at http://www.vikingsfootballhome.blogspot.com/
by MNTicketKingIntern on Jul 9, 2010 1:31 PM CDT reply actions
Week 4 bye
How will the early bye week affect our starters down the stretch, namely Mr. Number 4 as well as our aging offensive line… And with the 15th hardest schedule in the league, I can see injuries and the play of certain back ups being a big part of the picture if we expect to come anywhere near Dallas next year. We had better be the number one seed in the NFC because we are going to neeeeeeeed that first round bye
Don’t get me wrong, I am as optimistic as anyone about the new season. Its just that early bye week can be a killer, especially when you have aging players at pivotal positions.
And completely off topic, does anyone else find it hilarious that the same Matt Millen who destroyed the Detroit Lions franchise for 8 years is now an analyst for espn’s NFL live? I mean, seriously?
The early bye wk has me concerned as too.
We’ll need lots of rotation throughout all positions on the team, especially the O line and D line.
Wk #5 to #20 without a break is a LOOONG time for the big fellas. A top 2 seed in the PO’s will be Priority if they plan to compete.
And completely off topic, does anyone else find it hilarious that the same Matt Millen who destroyed the Detroit Lions franchise for 8 years is now an analyst for espn’s NFL live? I mean, seriously?
Millen was in TV before he was Lions GM, and I recall he was pretty good at it, actually one of the best there.
Just because someone isn’t successful in one capacity, does not mean he’s worthless in every capacity.
touchbacks
how about Will Rhys Lloyd lead the league in touchbacks? i actually think this is kinda important w/ their not-to-special teams coverage
"the following statement is true:
the preceding statement was false" - george carlin
I really don't think it'll matter too much
I mean, the ST wasn’t all that bad last year. In fact, they were pretty good. Definitely a huge step up from the 2009 ST.
Until the Saints game that is
Can you get ❼ Lebron? Can you get 1 Vikings? 2010 is the year to do it!!
by UnBannedVikingholic on Jul 10, 2010 8:38 AM CDT up reply actions
To me the secondary is the biggest question now....
The injuries to Griffin and Winfield are important. Griffin probably more so now because I would expect Winfield to be healthy by the opener. The other issue, to me, is the play of our safeties, which was erratic at best. If I see Tyrell Johnson take horrifically bad angles every time someone gets to his level, I’m going to lose it!
On the other hand, I’m looking forward to Cook playing. I think we are going to see some changes as the season goes on. At least we got some more depth in the secondary.
good questions and answers, but
the one not on the list is, will AP learn to take care of the football. that’s the only thing standing between this team (with farve) and a super bowl ring
Be patient Grasshopper
more questions tomorrow. We’ll let Eric’s story percolate for awhile.
"Whoever said that the pen is mightier than the sword never encountered automatic weapons."
"...I won't hang myself from auto-erotic asphyxiation."
Just spitballing here…
"Whoever said that the pen is mightier than the sword never encountered automatic weapons."
Good read .
I agree other starter health and other extensions also are things to watch .
1. We will face good QB’s , OL’s and Run Defenses in the 1st half of our schedule in 2010 . I disagree about the bye week . What’s new . I know ? As week #5 could have been the ideal split of the 1st half of the season . The last 9 games are earier . T split the 1st 7 in half could help the push to week #9 . Nagging injuries to start the season can see early rest . Yes , if we see the IR get out of hand in Nov . it isn’t good . Optomistically the first half split is ideal . AD will play up to the competition . This will allow Brett too excel in 2010 . Brad needs to allow Brett to unleash in the 1st seven . Brad stopped Brett short of quite a few records last year . A few 400+ games are very do-able .
2. Talk to the O-line and you will know . McKinnie had a quiet year other than the Peppers game . Quiet is good . Hutch is comingback from surgery not old age thanks . Sully and Loadholt produced the best RB in the NFC and a 4200+ yard QB with a 100+ rating . Name another line with those credentials . We hold high expectations for this line . That’s OK . But let’s get real here .
3. Nice read on thiss one . Childress is key to production levels here . Gerhart is a workhorse . Can Brad allow this Heisman candidate excel vs. progress .
4. The NFL has a strangle hold on Owners when it comes to minus six year RFA’s . Ray will get his . After a few more concernable extensions .
5. I stated on many occasions that they are 100 % safe to Thanksgiving . December to Feb. they look good . Goodell wanted to use the week#1 match up to flex his muscle . Don’t think for a moment that he won’t try again in the post-season . He thinks he can push the SupremeCourt around . What’s a Superbowl contender to him . He probably has some of that Dallas odds in Las Vegas thing going on . He placed Dallas ahead of us for a stadium they couldn’t complete (Deathstar) . Then sent the ref’s that hate home team to the Vikes/Cowboys game . Why would he stop there to see Dallas play at home in Feb ……
Good point . Keep up the clear thought .
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