Vikings To Use Franchise Tag On Chad Greenway?

I think it is equally as hard to get a real stud OLB, and to let one go for nothing would be an absolute shame.

Greenway also didn’t deciede to have surgery right before the season was about to start which is also a clear message to the Front Office.

I’m not surprised they probably want to tag Greenway before Rice. They might have felt let down by his actions last year and also aren’t 100% sure he can consistently stay healthy.

I guess I left him off the list, sorry bout that. Haven’t seen much from him.

But Pouncey really didn’t have the great a year with Florida and is probably getting more attention then he should given the fact his brother is on the Steelers who went to the superbowl.

Having said that, I wouldn’t mind a C/G.

If there is a sure thing in this1st roundt. I think it is Pouncy.

Losing Rice would be a HUGE blow to us and if it did happen, we undoubtely would have to go WR in round 1 in my opinion.

We can only match an offer within 7 days when we place a transition tag on a player. If we do not match we get diddly this year. Next year we MAY get a compensatory pick but that is a complicated formula and the picks do not start until the end of the 3rd round.

But on the other hand, WRs have loner LTIs (length to impact). It took Sidney until his 3rd year to really make an impact.

Taggin Sidney with the non-exclusive tag guarantees him the average of the top 5 WRs …

A “non-exclusive” franchise player must be offered a one-year contract for an amount no less than the average of the top five salaries at the player’s position in the previous year, or 120 percent of the player’s previous year’s salary, whichever is greater. A non-exclusive franchise player may negotiate with other NFL teams, but if he signs an offer sheet from another team, the original team has a right to match the terms of that offer, or if it does not match the offer and thus loses the player, is entitled to receive two first-round draft picks as compensation.

So Sidney will get at least a one year deal of about 9 to 12 mil. Whatever it is.

Meanwhile they can try to sign him to a longer deal.

That leaves Chad with the transition tag. LBs make good money but not as much as WRs. And LBs have a much shorter LTI. A draftee may be able to step right in and play. Not as good as Chad at first but maybe good enough.

The other thing with Chad is that they may feel that he will at least let them make the first offer. They may have spoken to him about this already. Maybe they told him they trust him and are willing to give it their best shot. It better be a good offer though.

I think there is a better chance of matching what Chad gets than what Rice will get. Also, it means that they will be paying out less in the first year because they are only paying Rice the average of the top 5 WRs and Chad a huge deal.

The other way they would be paying both a huge deal.

And finally, they still have the rights to Rice. If they get to the point where they see they cannot sign him to an extension they can trade him for a high draft pick. This is what their main goal should be IMHO.

Do not lose a player for nothing in return. If you do that then you have just wasted the original pick and the years coaching and developing the player.

I think I would tag Rice and transition Chad.

Well actually, I would try and sign Chad to a two year deal BEFORE March 3rd. Maybe 2 year 14 mil. He may accept that because that means he will get another deal before 2013.

Especially receivers of Rice’s skill level and potential. That lesson was learned in the 2010 season. Without Rice in the lineup, the offense was stagnant. The FO traded for Camarillo, brought in Walker, signed Hank Baskett, and the 3 of those guys combined could not replace the void that Rice’s injury had created in the offense.

You can also look at the effect that Rice’s absence had on production from the other offensive skill players. Shank’s numbers were way down. Berrian’s numbers were way down. AP’s production went down. Not only did Rice produce great numbers in 09, his presence forced teams to game plan around him which opened things up for other players. And that’s what great WR’s do, they cause the Defense to game plan around them. It can even affect how a team will draft (see the Chris Cook). You rarely hear of a team game planning around a 4-3 OLB.

whether he would have posted the same numbers as w/ Montan is debateable. But Rice could obtain separation. All he needed was a QB that could hit him after he separated.

Siney on the other hand jumps over people to get his receptions. I have always been suspect of Sidney’d greatness because of his low TD numbers compared to his reception ratio. He can’t score because he doesn’t separate. This doesn’t make him a good receiver. It simply doesn’t make him great. Yet.