What moves should the Vikings make?
Coming into the Monday night game, I felt really good, I mean really good. I thought it was gonna be like the season opener- high scoring big plays and everything. I thought the Vikes could pull off the upset much like the rest of us hear at the DN. And of course, in perfect Viking fashion, we have a blowout in front of everybody in the country. Also, worse than that we have even more glaring holes then what I realized. So lets go over all the positions and how well they will work for the future.
QB: Obviously I think we've all jumped aboard the Ponder band-wagon and from what his mindset and talent is, he will be a good player. Webb, can be a decent back-up as what we've seen before.
RB:AD, decent young blood Gerhart can probably take over after AP hits 30, and Booker has been a nice change of pace back. This should be good for a long time.
FB: I actually like what I see in D'Imperio as I've seen him make good blocks throughout his time starting at fullback. I can see him get better as the season continues.
WR: Now is when we get to the problems. Percy Harvin is one of the few good talents we have on offense and I think he can be used like a speedy deep threat every once in a while, but mostly used in the slot getting screens and handoffs. Michael Jenkins should be a good #3 receiver as he's been a good possension receiver. Aromashodu and Camarillo could battle out for a #4 spot but I don't know if any of these guys can be a huge big play, strech the field type of player as 3 of the 4 receivers have the occasional trouble getting open. I think a 2nd rounder could be used to try and get that WR we need.
TE: Anyone else stay to watch the whole game because the highlight for the Vikings that night I would say belongs to Kyle Rudolph. He had an amazing one handed grab above to defenders and this guy can definatly be a lock at TE for a long long time. Shanicoe has been an amazing TE during his time in Minnesota but I think we can let him walk at the end of the season. The Sauce is like another OL on the team and I think we need to keep him for a blocking purpose(all of his greatness aside). Maybe pick up another TE to be a 2nd option.
OL: More problems, I think this is where we need the most help. The pass blocking on Monday was disgusting. I don't remember one time where Ponder had a decent amount of time to throw. I think that we use our 1st rounder on a LT as Charlie Johnson would probably be better at RG. Hutch can stay at LG for about two more years before I think we need another LG. Sully is starting to show improvement at Center and I think if he continues to do well then he should have the position for a little while longer. RG, personally I think there should be a battle between Johnson, Herrea, and Chris DeGeare for RG. Phil Loadholt would be great if he could just improve his pass-blocking. I mean, Ponder might do better blocking at RT. However, he run-blocking is great and he has shown good work ethic and I think he can improve pass blocking. I think me keep Joe Berger for Depth and see what DeMarcus Love can do.
DL: Jared Allen should be here for at least 5 more years. I think he has a lot left. Brian Robison should be good at LE for a while and I'm starting to have a thing for Everson Griffen. I mean he was COVERING PUNTS. What DL can cover punts?! He has 3 sacks this year and he can push for a starting spot if we use that 5 men on the line thing. Kevin Williams showed that he is still a good DT and he wrecked some havok on Monday. I think he should be better next year after he is over the foot injury. Christian Ballard and Letroy Guion should battle for the other DT spot as I saw some good things from both. I think we draft a Defensive Lineman in the 4th round.
LB: I like Greenway and the Henderson Bros. as starters. But, EJ leg is gonna be a problem the rest of his career. We might have to draft a replacement in a while. As for Erin, I think he should get a few more years to grow into the role of a starter. I think we might wanna bring back Ross Homan for depth and maybe draft another LB in the late rounds.
DB: ARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH. I think we're gonna need a big year from Chris Cook next year. We've seen promise from him this year and if he stays healthy and out of trouble, he will have a good year next year. Cedric Griffen, if he didn't have those knee injuries he would probably have a lot of INT's in the last 2 years. We saw 4 picks from him in 2009 and he probably would've gotten better in 2010. With the knee injuries he is having trouble keeping up with receivers. Asher Allen should be kept as a 4th cornerback. We need to see how both of these guys do next year. I think we take a corner in the 3rd round or trade down from our 1st round pick to get two 2nd rounders to pick a corner. Antoine Winfield needs to be given one more year to see if he can still perform or we might need to move him to safety. At safety, I think we give Husain another year as he has the most interceptions on the team for the last two years. Johnson we should try to trade for a 6th round pick and should be cut immediately. I think we draft another safety somewhere in the draft to battle Jamarca Sanford.
S: Chris Kluwe has been good. Longwell has been having a down year, but should be good for a couple more years. Cullen Loefler has been good for a long time and should stay.
Well, this should do and all of this however needs to have a good draft for the next couple years for us to come back to power.
What do you think the Vikings should do for the 2012 draft? SKOL!
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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Heh...
I just posted something similar! Looks like we’re all looking towards the future at this point, lol. I agree with most of what you said with only a few exceptions:
1. Chris Cook. If he is found guilty, then he shouldn’t be anywhere near a team IMO. Domestic abuse isn’t something to take lightly, and I’d like to see him suspended from the NFL if he is found guilty.
2. Chris DeGeare. He wasn’t that great to begin with, and the jury is still out on him. I’m not convinced he’s a starter. Like you said, let him compete, but I think Herrera has lost a step, and Charlie Johnson is probably better than both of them at RG. Maybe keep DeGeare as a backup, but what about Fusco?
3. DT: Do we have a dedicated Nose Tackle, ala Pat Williams? I’m not sure Christian Ballard has the size to start opposite Kevin Williams, but we should be finding out soon as it looks like he started last night at GB.
SKOL Vikings!
I saw, just 10 mins ahead of me lol.
Looking at it now, I think we might’ve wanted to resign Phat Pat because he did lose a step but took up a lot of space.
by PurplePrideforLife! on Nov 16, 2011 4:43 PM CST up reply actions
DeGeare was pretty bad last year
but he should be in the mix, along with Fusco.
I agree that nose is a need too.
Would the Vikings get a Compensatory Pick if Cook is Guilty?
If so, I’m all for 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!
Here's how to fix the O-Line
Draft a LT depending who we can get Kalil, Martin, or Reiff. Next let Charlie Johnson compete with Degeare for RG and let Herrea walk. Let Love battle with Loadholt for RT and if after 2012 that position still sucks draft someone new. Finaly cut Sulivan our interior line was way better when he wasn’t there let Berger and Fusco compete there and keep the other one for depth.
"Winning isn't everything but losing is nothing" - Ace Bricka coach of the Galaxy Aces
When was this?
That the interior line was better when Sully wasn’t there? Certainly not the second half of the Bears game, when the interior line was terrible.
Forgot about Fusco.
He, Sully, and Berger fight for center.
by PurplePrideforLife! on Nov 16, 2011 4:44 PM CST reply actions
Why does DeGeare's name keep coming up?
The only thing he is fighting for is a spot on the practice squad. The dude is not an NFL caliber offensive lineman. Fusco was put in at guard before DeGeare was, and Fusco is a center.
"God always comes first, then grades, (and lastly) football." 11-year old phenom Demias Jimerson on his reaction to being told that he cannot score more than 2 TD's per game in his Arkansas Pee-Wee football league.
DeGeare is terrible
Slow. Overweight. And couldn’t pick up a blitz/stunt if his life depended on it. Fucso and Berger look like allstars compared to DeGeare.
"God always comes first, then grades, (and lastly) football." 11-year old phenom Demias Jimerson on his reaction to being told that he cannot score more than 2 TD's per game in his Arkansas Pee-Wee football league.
Too bad they passed on Newhouse who was rated higher as a guard and had experience at tackle too
And who did not have academic problems either.
Sometimes the scouting is really bad.
They also took Triplett in round 5 too and of course he did not even make the team. They probably could have picked him up as an UDFA. Meanwhile Kavell Connor is starting in Indy. Antonio Brown WR is looking good in Pittsburgh. But they kept Greg Lewis though.
Scouting is abysmal
So many people drafted to this team that don’t even get a shot.
The Vikes aren't in a remodeling or reconstruction they are in a burn the place down and start praying they don't mimic the Lions rebuilding process.
Does that mean people will stop worshiping at the Altar of Spielman?
Not that Purple Drank isn’t tasty, but it does cloud the judgement…..
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!
Its too soon to tell
But I think Chilly was more at fault. Just by looking at the 2011 draft, I see a much better use of draft picks.
"God always comes first, then grades, (and lastly) football." 11-year old phenom Demias Jimerson on his reaction to being told that he cannot score more than 2 TD's per game in his Arkansas Pee-Wee football league.
True
When I look at the players from this draft the players seem to be a lot better. Ponder good. Rudolph good. Ballard starting to fill in. The other younger players can possibly fill in a possibly be starters in the future.
by PurplePrideforLife! on Nov 18, 2011 3:38 PM CST up reply actions
I probably agree with more of this
than any of the other evaluations that have been written on this site.
Although I have to say that I do not like the notion of Gerhart as the feature back of the future, at least not without major improvement.
Also,
Toby is only two years younger than AP. Toby is 24 and AP is 26. By the time AP hits thirty, Toby won’t be far behind him.
But...
Since he probably wound’t have as much wear and tear at 28 he could get some good yardage for us (Michael Turner)
by PurplePrideforLife! on Nov 18, 2011 6:10 AM CST up reply actions
Well since we're trading AD it won't matter as much...
HA HA HA HA HA! The new brains conversation?
The Vikes aren't in a remodeling or reconstruction they are in a burn the place down and start praying they don't mimic the Lions rebuilding process.
Sorry Grime
I’m going to need you turn in your horns and purple face paint. Ragnar will show you out.
Hmm...
I still say we go WR in free agency, and save the 2nd rounder for defensive back. I would rather have a WR we know can produce rather than one who may or may not produce.
I totally agree on using the 1st rounder for a LT, that is a need, need, need. I think Charlie Johnson will suffice at Guard.
Ballard, Griffen, Allen, Robison, Williams and Guion are a good line, but we still need a Phat Pat-style DT that can clog the running lanes.
As far as LB goes, we DO have a replacement for EJ – his name is Jasper Brinkley and he played pretty darn well in Ej’s absence. We certainly could use another young LB prospect though.
I am really hoping Chris Cook can turn things around and atone for what he has allegedly done, but we will certainly need help at DB as Allen, Griffin, Sanford and Abdullah are not cutting it. I hope Mistral Raymond can step forward and show what he is capable of. The guy can tackle, but I am not sure of his coverage abilities.
WR...
Your idea could work as if we could get Colston or Jackson. And draft two DB’s with 2nd and 3rd.
by PurplePrideforLife! on Nov 17, 2011 6:24 AM CST up reply actions
I would take Bowe if he is available as well...
But I think all three of them will be resigned. The one that has the best chance might be Jackson as I think he might not want to stay, next would be Colston as they may not have the cash to keep him.
The thing about Colston is
that the Saints will be focused on resigning Brees and might let Colston slip. I would prefer Colston because he is a bigger target to throw to.
by PurplePrideforLife! on Nov 17, 2011 2:50 PM CST up reply actions
Not me.
Colston has had too many surgeries. He has had microfracture surgery on each knee.
http://sports.espn.go.com/fantasy/football/ffl/story?page=nfldk2k11_32qSaints
He will turn 29 in June of 2012.
I would rather sign a Pierre Garcon who will turn 26 next August. And I would try and sign Mario Manningham too. He turns 25 next May.
If they get both these WRs then they would have a nice group. At the very least I would get one.
I also am targeting lower level type WRs because I think it is going to be hard to attract the top WRs in free agency. I would love to say I want VJack or Bowe. But I think these players will visit elsewhere before visiting here. In fact, I would be surprised if they can even sign one of the two guys above. I think my preference would be Garcon.
I think the best approach would be to offer outrageous money to the top CB and safety in free agency and then try and land a second level WR like Garcon who would be the deep threat.
Didn't even think about that.
I had recalled him having some injury issues, but forgot about the Micro-fracture surgeries which are almost always worse than they sound.
The thing I want, the thing I believe will help Ponder the most, would be a big-bodied receiver and Garcon and Manningham simply are not that kind of guy. Not that they would not be good additions to the team, I just think Ponder could use another big body out there along with Rudolph.
Someone who demands double-teams to take some pressure off Percy, and I don’t think Garcon or Manningham are that guy.
Perhaps I am aiming too high, but I think Ponder could use 2-3 years of a guy like Colston or VJ.
Brinkley did very well in E.J.'s stead
But he was exposed in pass coverage several times on Play Action, because he bit so hard on the playfake. I hope he can turn into a solid starter, but unfortunately the only reason we’re having this discussion is because E.J.’s pass coverage has gone downhill in a hurry. We need more than one LB that can cover, and currently our best one is Erin Henderson. E.J gets taken off the field when we go to passing downs, and Greenway gets burned because he plays with his back to the QB, so he cannot react to the pass and is essentially playing blind.
true..
But he was also a rookie, and we cannot really fault him for making rookie mistakes.
EJ was taken off the field on passing downs because of injury, not because of his pass coverage. Now that he is back to form, he is staying out there on nickle packages.
I do want another LB, Erin has played well but I am not convinced he is up to par with what we need at LB.
I'm not faulting him
I was just stating what happened. I hope he can overcome those rookie issues and I was pretty happy with how he played. But if we were to get a new LB I would think it would be a MLB. Maybe we could pick up a good pass coverage LB that plays nickel defense with Erin (I like what I see of him covering passes and would like to see him try being a regular one the nickel D) and plays Special teams, and have Brinkley play as the regular 4-3 MLB. I like Erin’s play now, he has made huge strides from his first few years.
I have always been an EJ backer and he was always my favorite on the team, but it seems a little obvious he has lost a step or else is playing tentative, I cannot really tell which. But when he plays MLB in our D we cannot afford either, because our D expects our MLBs to cover a lot of ground.
I think
that we try to get a more coverage MLB as our LB’s are not that good in coverage.
by PurplePrideforLife! on Nov 17, 2011 6:52 PM CST reply actions
I wonder if it would be easier to change the scheme...???
"God always comes first, then grades, (and lastly) football." 11-year old phenom Demias Jimerson on his reaction to being told that he cannot score more than 2 TD's per game in his Arkansas Pee-Wee football league.
You'd have the same problem
unless you just blitz your linebackers every play, then scheme doesn’t matter as much anyways.
by Simply_Greatness on Nov 19, 2011 5:42 PM CST up reply actions
We BADLY need to focus on 2 key areas and those areas specifically: O-line and Secondary
Everything else is (unfortunately, for good or ill) secondary to our primary needs.
We have to shore up our porous and underachieving O-line along with our terrible Secondary. They are absolute priorities. The next most pressing concern is probably WR. We’re hurting there.
Needs
I agree with most of you that our OL is top priority, then DB and finally WR, I’d go about it a little different. We all hope we can get Kalil or another top LT, I’d go after a DB via free agency or trade and try to get someone kind of established DB. Maybe Winfield can move to FS, or on just nickel and dime packages.The WR are not the problem IMHO, (except BB2, arashmadusho) I think the O line problems haven’t given our QBs enough time to throw. I like Jenkins, and Rudolph looks like the real deal, Harvin has to play the slot to be effective, so I guess we do need a WR, but I don’t think we need a #1 WR, Finally I think our scheme on defense needs to be revisied, Who runs a sucessful Tampa 2 anymore? Pittsburgh maybe, but they have Palomalu as one of there safeties and 2 decent cover corners. I think our problem is that the rest of the NFC North has the tools that expose our biggest weaknesses. I can guarantee you that the Lions will have a big day against us using the TE up the seems, and Johnson deep. The Bears used to shread us with Olsen and the Packers just have too many receivers. So we need to change the entire scheme. It hasn’t worked for us in the last 9 games. Maybe its lack of personnel, or that the Tampa 2 is going the way of the 4-6, or the wishbone and wing T.
Why would we even think about picking up another TE?
We have 2 solid catching TE’s and a terrific blocking one.
Boom Goes the Dynamite
Because two of those TEs are free agents and will be 32 & 35 years old next year
It is time to get younger and let the team develop with Ponder.
Maybe they resign Kleinsasser but I would rather give Reisner a shot as he is a good blocking TE too.
They need to start Rudolph next year or else they wasted that 2nd round pick last year. He needs more snaps.
So drafting another young TE to work in Musgrave’s two TE sets would not be a bad idea at all. It may work something similar to what the Patriots are doing with their two TEs.
That's one thing I don't like about our team they seem to not want to play high draft round players early
Get them out there get them in the thick of things let them rise or fall. We have a horrible team this year. Love should be in there for Loadholt or someone right now. If Load doesn’t like it he can get his fat ass on a jump rope and start watching tape on tackles that know how to pass block. In the same vein toss in some new safeties, we can’t get much worse.
Honestly we need to let people play take a risk or two and see if we can boot string this team up a bit.
The Vikes aren't in a remodeling or reconstruction they are in a burn the place down and start praying they don't mimic the Lions rebuilding process.
Or if nothing else, at least get a solid eval on the rooks
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!
Try Loadholt at LT (yikes), Fusco at center, Charlie Johnson at RG, and Love at RT. Maybe even sprinkle in Berger at LG.
On D put in Reed at LDE. B. Burton at CB and Ramond at FS.
"God always comes first, then grades, (and lastly) football." 11-year old phenom Demias Jimerson on his reaction to being told that he cannot score more than 2 TD's per game in his Arkansas Pee-Wee football league.
You really don't like Ponder do you.
With Loadholt at left tackle where the real speed rushers reside we’ll be finding a new QB in a matter of weeks.
The Vikes aren't in a remodeling or reconstruction they are in a burn the place down and start praying they don't mimic the Lions rebuilding process.
That's why I wrote "yikes" in there
It was more of a joke. Sorry forgot to hit the sarcasm font.
"God always comes first, then grades, (and lastly) football." 11-year old phenom Demias Jimerson on his reaction to being told that he cannot score more than 2 TD's per game in his Arkansas Pee-Wee football league.
Maybe (maybe) less yikes if
You swap Loadholt and Love.
Although rookie who hasn’t played and LT isn’t exactly confidence building either.
Resign Shank to a one-year deal
Go with
1. Rudolph
2. Shank
3. Reisner
Draft a replacement for Shank in 2013.
"God always comes first, then grades, (and lastly) football." 11-year old phenom Demias Jimerson on his reaction to being told that he cannot score more than 2 TD's per game in his Arkansas Pee-Wee football league.
Not bad.
I would draft Coby Fleener or Micheal Egnew in the 3rd round BEFORE I took a WR.
Both of these TEs look pretty good in college with Fleener being the better blocker.
Then the Vikings have two awesome young huge TEs.
And they can resign the “People’s Champion” to a lesser deal (1.5 mil or so) to play fullback. His natural position. Why Childress moved him from there for freaking Tahi is a complete mystery. Notice that they play him at FB more this year.

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