Cedric Griffin: Should we let him walk?
by RevDrev on Feb 21, 2012 10:27 AM CST
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PrintI really just wanted to start a post to get some people talking about Ced. I really loved him in that 2009 year before the injury. I have some questions I would love ya'll to consider.
- Is the relationship between him and Frazier and the organization irreparable?
- Is it possible that Ced regains more from the injury this year than he had last year if so wouldn't it suck if we saw him excel somewhere else?
- Along those lines is Ced part of what we could call a "youth movement?"
- If he has lost a step would he be able to play Strong Safety (please comment on this I am really interested in what people think about this)?
All that being said think of this backfield.
CB Chris Cook (assuming he can come back)
CB Brandon Carr (FA)
SS Ced
FS Hussain Abdullah or (maybe) Mistral Raymond
Not a lot of cash committed and I think it could be a big improvement. But as always if I am talking out my ass...let me know.
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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I'd rather we not bring him back.
I loved him before the injuries too, but I don’t think he has a lot left. The only way I would bring him back is if he took a major pay cut.
"I wanted to do it because it's fun, it's fun to do bad things and drive into a car."
by PurplePeopleEaters on Feb 21, 2012 10:41 AM CST reply actions
I would not even consider that
has was a liability last year. I would only bring him back if he paid the Vikes
Moving him to safety might be a possibility...
But he would have to take a pay cut for us to try that experiment, because it would be essentially like having a young, inexperienced SS and we are not going to pay him like a veteran CB.
I like the guy, but I don’t know what he has left in the tank. At worst he makes a good backup, but only at the right cost.
But he was a detriment to the team last year
he should not be playing CB in the NFL right now. He was the worst CB in the league last year. That is not a GOOD back-up. He might be OK in the Nickle but all we have now are OK nickle CBs in Winfield, Sherels, etc…
That is quite the statement...
Worst CB in the league… You call a guy bad because he is recovering from injury?
Griffin is far from the worst in the league, he is just not good enough to be a starter after the surgeries.
by Bjorno on Feb 22, 2012 10:52 AM CST up reply actions 1 recs
No, He is Widely regarded and ranked as one of THE WORST in the league.
He was the worst ranked CB on the team with the worst secondary ranking in the NFL. So yea it is a quite true statement. Injuries or no injuries, his talent is gone and he needs to go with it.
If he is "Widely regarded",
Then there should be plenty of information you can use to back your statement.
Just because we were the worst secondary, does not make Ced the worst CB in the league. That is like saying that if Packers fans rank lowest in the league in intelligence, that every single one of them is stupid.
That is just not the case.
Is it a stretch to say he was the worst player in our secondary?
And did we not have one of the worst secondaries in the league?
Ergo.. he’s played pretty badly.
by REVENGE4KLUWE on Feb 24, 2012 1:03 PM CST up reply actions
Tough to say..
I did not specifically watch to see how many times Cedric got beat, as I was too busy watching our secondary as a whole getting torched.
I do know he has more tackles, passes defensed and more forced fumbles than anyone in our secondary. So he is still making plays.
Well he was benched in multiple games last year
and no other CB was. So that should tell you a whole heck of a lot.
He's probably got more stats..
because teams are targetting him so much. Why bother throwing to the other guys when Griffin’s man is open?
I wish there was some way to see how many times a WR each individual DB was covering got thrown to through out the season. My guess would be that Griffin is also leading the team in that stat.
by REVENGE4KLUWE on Feb 25, 2012 9:59 AM CST up reply actions
I can't dispute that...
It is a distinct possibility.
That is the problem with using stats, as they don’t tell the whole tale. I know I was not happy with Griffin’s play last year, but to call him the worst CB in the league is pretty harsh.
We know that modern medicine is amazing, but it still takes time to recover from knee injuries like Ced has. Give him a chance this year in the offseason to show he can still play with a stipulation that he has to restructure his contract to a more incentive-laden one.
I don't know if he's THE worst..
but he’s got to be fairly high on the list. I know PFF does their little ‘best-worst CB’ rating, we could check that out, but I’m not even sure Griffin got enough snaps to qualify.
That’s pretty telling in itself on a team who’s struggling with depth at his position.
by REVENGE4KLUWE on Feb 27, 2012 6:05 PM CST up reply actions
Well, you still have to take the injury into account..
and the fact that it takes a year to come back from something like that.
Since he was less than a year removed from the injury, we should let him use this off-season to show he can still play.
The problem with that is we would have to restructure his contract to make it worth the chance.
I agree
He just needs to be gone. Clearly his production can at least be matched by players that cost a lot less and do what they are told.
Yea, he's clearly lost a step or some burst or something...
but he still has veteran skills. I hope he catches on with another team and rehabs the heck out of his knees. Maybe he can regain some of what he lost and make a solid contribution as a nickel or a safety somewhere. I wouldn’t count him out.
You don't tug on Superman's cape
You don't spit into the wind
You don't pull the mask of the Spiderman
And you don't trash talk about him
by REVENGE4WEBB on Feb 23, 2012 3:00 PM CST up reply actions
I don't disagree with that.
Ced is certainly only a shadow of the player he once was, but he is still recovering from his injuries.
But he is far from the worst CB in the league…
I doubt they swap him to safety
They’d have done it already if they were going to, and the switch isn’t as easy as it sounds. Given that we benched Griffin while he was healthy multiple times near the end of the season, I’d say his days in purple are numbered.
by REVENGE4KLUWE on Feb 21, 2012 9:45 PM CST up reply actions
He's gone,
For such potential to be thwarted by injuries is sad, but he’s easily the worst CB on the team right now and his football days are done.
If we can't laugh at ourselves, Packer fans will call us crybabies and we will be forced to kick their tooth in. I really don't want to go to jail (again).
by Alittlemore_cowbell on Feb 21, 2012 11:08 AM CST reply actions
one of the worst CB's in the league
Of course with our secondary that pretty much maps…
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.
Tackling ability?!
SS are needed to help in run-support. He was never a great hitter or brought much to the table in the tackling department. Cut him!
by FLSKOLMAN on Feb 21, 2012 12:13 PM CST via mobile reply actions
not that I disagree with this particular comment
but at the rate you want to cut people, we won’t even have a 53 man roster next year.
Rule #76: No excuses-play like a champion.
☠★☪Creator of http:/vikescity.info/
by UnBannedVikingholic on Feb 23, 2012 11:09 PM CST up reply actions
Its hard not to argue with cutting alot of people..
I mean, we were 6-10, and now 3-13 with alot of these same guys on the team, and very obviously playing poorly..
We were up by double digits the first 3 games of the season before the defense collapsed. In large part due to the secondary. Which, also, set a record for not getting a single interception for NINE straight games. That’s more than half a season. Changes should be expected.
by REVENGE4KLUWE on Feb 24, 2012 11:09 AM CST up reply actions
Chris Carr?
I think you meant Brandon Carr.
by FLSKOLMAN on Feb 21, 2012 12:17 PM CST via mobile reply actions
keep him
i say keep him but have the contract based on snaps in starting lineup,tackles,interceptions.have his base salary lower but let him make it up in incentives.low risk high reward and i love the effert he needed to come back from injuries.plus it usually takes a season to come back from his injuries at least give him a chance.
I don't care about effort.
I could try and play CB for the Vikes and give 100% all the time, but I don’t have the talent. Salary is too high and even if he comes back on the cheap he no longer has the skills. It’s time to stop being emotional when it comes to football decisions. This team needs talent and Ced no longer has any.
by FLSKOLMAN on Feb 21, 2012 12:35 PM CST via mobile up reply actions
Dont sell yourself short
you might have the talent to play in this teams secondary
by viking_#28 on Feb 21, 2012 1:10 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs
Cut him
He was openly ignoring his schematic assignments, and it cost us games. After the injuries he, sadly, wasn’t the same player. He wasn’t able to keep up with receivers, and wasn’t able to jam well at the line. His tackling has been ok, but he’s no Winfield in that department. All told, he’s a liability. Throw in the fact that he publicly admitted to being frustrated and cleaned out his entire locker at the end of the year proves he doesn’t even want to come back anyway.
From the business side of things though, the Vikings would be smart to hold onto him as long as possible. In case he actually does sign with another team, why give another team any advantage? He’s still under contract, so wait until the last cut-down day to officially cut him.
Ponder. Peterson. Percy. Purple Perfection.
Unless of course we need the cap space...
Then cutting him sooner rather than later would be better.
Ponder. Peterson. Percy. Purple Perfection.
we could try to trade him I guess
But I don’t think anyone would want to pick him up.
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.
If i were the vikes I would pay other teams that they will be playing to take him
If he cracked the starting line up for another team, even our WRs could burn him
He was not following the DC's calls on the field
He thought they were poorly called and did what he thought was the correct coverage. Not saying he wasn’t right, but he sure shouldn’t have done what he did…
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.
How can he "Help" other teams?
I’m really curious how the worst player on one of the worst defensive backfields OF ALL TIME could possibly help another team?! I think it’s safe to say that other teams don’t need to “Burn the midnight oil” figuring out a way to torch our defense!
by FLSKOLMAN on Feb 21, 2012 12:42 PM CST via mobile reply actions
Cedric Griffin
Cut Griffin after June 1st then theres not such a cap hit or have him take a pay cut then try to trade him for a 6th or 7th pick and get a little value out of it.
well said
The only way he should be on this team come August is if he agrees to play for the league minimum and accepts playing only in the Dime
How about sweeping.
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.
what can I say about Cedric griffin
That hasn’t been said about Afghanistan: bombed out and depleted
"none of us is a fan of the team" - Judd Zulgad (also fabricated the "schism" reports of 09')
by Grape Drank on Feb 21, 2012 5:28 PM CST via iPhone app reply actions
I think we should keep him.
If he takes a pay cut, then yes keep him, I saw something in those last two games in which he showed a tiny bit of his former self. We could always move him to safety, so that’s another option. Finally, he is two years off of his latest ACL injury, so he should be a bit better. Also, the times he got burned were because of coverage miscommunications.
by PurplePrideforLife! on Feb 21, 2012 5:55 PM CST reply actions
Sorry Ced, but we need to get better this year. Good Luck elsewhere.
You don't tug on Superman's cape
You don't spit into the wind
You don't pull the mask of the Spiderman
And you don't trash talk about him
let him walk
lord knows he can’t run from us
A successful coach needs a patient wife, loyal dog, and great quarterback - and not necessarily in that order.
-- Bud Grant
The NFL is a business.
Cutting him instead of stringing him along, paying him all the way, is VERY bad for business. Just do the inevitable and cut him, Leslie.
by christian220896 on Feb 22, 2012 8:36 AM CST reply actions
MAJOR Typo
Should read the other way around, “Stringing him along instead of cutting him” Sorry lol
by christian220896 on Feb 22, 2012 8:38 AM CST up reply actions
Why do people think an injury prone DB
would make a better safety?
Rule #76: No excuses-play like a champion.
☠★☪Creator of http:/vikescity.info/
by UnBannedVikingholic on Feb 23, 2012 11:02 PM CST reply actions
Safeties play off the line more
and don’t need to be as speedy as a cb. Because of that people always think an aging cb can be pushed back into the safety position. Problem is I just don’t see it happening often at all, so I think there is probably a reason for that.
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.
Well, Griffin has never been known as a bone crushing or even sure tackler
The only possibility for a move on this team i believe would be winfield
Its because of Rod Woodson
He was a good CB, started getting old, so they swapped him to Safety, and he played well there for a few years to longevitize his career.
Problem with suggesting it for Winfield/Griffin? They’re no Rod Woodsons…
by REVENGE4KLUWE on Feb 24, 2012 11:11 AM CST up reply actions
Yea...
But Winfield is close, and probably the best tackler on our defense.
I can see it for ’toine, but not for Griffin.
I dunno about Winfield.
Maybe if we had made the switch a few years earlier, he’d be okay. But suddenly changing when you’re 35? (I think that’s how old he is, anyhow) It would be nothing but growing pains until he finally retired.
We should just get an actual safety and let Winfield be the nickle corner.
by REVENGE4KLUWE on Feb 25, 2012 10:01 AM CST up reply actions
winner winner chicken dinner
Yeah I agree with this 100% as a nickel corner he’s playing more inside anyway.
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.
I am fine with that...
Plus, it keeps his contract numbers down and keeps his old body fresh.
I think older players need more time to recover between plays and should play less snaps to keep themselves fresh. When you are younger it is much easier to play a whole game and stay fresh than it is for an old man like ’Toine.
bad tackler?
griffin was first or second in tackles several yrs in a row if i recall not a hard hitter? really? he was one of the most physical corners in the league he came back early from injury to try and help the team at least give the guy a chance to come back healthy before you throw him under the bus none of us know what goes on behind closed doors with the staff and players
Yep,
He was a very solid tackler(learned from one of the best), and I remember him putting some vicious hits on players before his knee injuries.
Now that he is a bit slower, and a bit tentative due to the injury, he is not laying as much wood. But I think he can still play if the knees hold up, though it will take until next year before he is close to 100%.
only if he is a viable option at SS...
…if Ced can play SS with Mistral at FS, then ok.
otherwise, cut Ced. i hope we draft Harrison Smith, anyway.
"Th_r_'s n_ h_p_ f_r _ssh_l_ f_ckw_ts."
Can I buy a vowel...?? +1, Kluwe.
His salary is too much for his performance and injury risk
That is the whole problem besides not playing very well last year.
Sure he made a lot of tackles just like Greenway. Well, that is going to happen when your offense is bad and you are out there a lot. It also happens when completions are made in front of you and you make the tackle. Don’t talk to me about tackles. They are over rated. It matters where you make the tackle.
Griffin gave up 65.6% of the passes thrown his direction and QBs had a 114.1 rating throwing at him.
http://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2012/01/12/cornerbacks-a-glance-at-the-2011-numbers/
I do not know why people feel that is going to improve dramatically? I give him credit for battling his way back from those two knee surgeries but those surgeries are precisely the reason why I would have to let him try somewhere else. It is a risk to believe that he can get back to his former just OK ability. The Vikings need to take that money and offer it to another CB.
It is the way of the NFL and one of the reasons why players want to get that guaranteed money because they can get hurt and then be on their way out.
Now is the time to rebuild and take advantage of the free agent market. Next year the market is not going to be as robust as it is now.
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