Well for the most part I'd have to say I've been pretty Happy with everything in this off season this year. We didn't overspend in free agency, and had one of the best drafts in years. Finally we have someone to take the reigns of the vikings as we elected Rick Spielman as our general manager. I saw this ridiculous video on bleacher report that really made me think about making this post, and these are my reasons for being optimistic about the vikings in 2012.

Christian Ponder- I understand that he showed flashes of great play in 2012 and i also understand that he had some really bad rookie mistakes, but really what rookie doesn't. In ponder's defense we all know that we had the lock out last year and that messed with coaches, all off season programs, and for the most part it messed mainly with the 2011 rookie class. I do believe Ponder can be the quarterback of the future, he has a strong arm and hes pretty darn accurate. He even put on muscle weight this year for arm strength and so he can take hits better if our offensive line falls apart again this year. He's a smart player and will read defenses better, and with our additions with our receiving core and our offensive line, i believe ponder will have a much greater year and show he can progress each year. My guess on Christian Ponder's 2012 stats. 3,552 yards, 26 TDs, and 11 ints. That stupid video i saw said Ponder will regress, and i think he's drinking 2 much of that purple hating drank.

Matt Kalil- This to me, even though we all knew it was coming, was the most exciting part of the draft for me. Kalil is a big, strong left tackle and he will be our starting left tackle for 10 or more years. He will create holes for Toby Gerhart and Adrian Peterson and will help keep Christian Ponder stay on his feet. It depends on how the rest of the offensive line works together but i see Kalil as a pro bowler, either this year or 2013.

Percy Harvin- Okay he gave me a huge scare when i saw that he wanted a trade out of Minnesota, but that seems to be resolved for now. He is a huge asset and we would be stupid to let go of him. In recent articles it says Harvin will be acting like 2012 is his contract year, and he will make sure he gets the playing time he needs. Everyone says he's not dependable with his injuries, but seriously? he's only missed 3 games since coming out of the 2009 draft, that's not bad at all, and we are starting to see the greater side of his migraines, as they are not affecting him much anymore. I can already hear the announcer in my head saying "Ponder back to throw, finds Percy, TOUCHDOWN! and I think there will be a lot of that in 2012. 2012 stats- 91 receptions, 1,092 yards and 8 TDS.

The whole secondary- We had the worst secondary in the NFL last year giving up 34 touchdowns. We had a bad mess last year with Winfield going down in injuries, Chris cook with his assault charge, and just really bad plays. Asher Allen retired this year but that's not a big problem, as he was one of the many making bad plays. This year we went out in free agency, got a low priced Chris Carr from Baltimore, Zach Bowman from Chicago. These guys are still upgrades from last year and i see plenty of competition in training camp. Then can't forget we went ahead and got guys like Harrison Smith, Josh Robinson, and Robert Blanton in the 2012 draft. I see Smith being one of our starting safetys with Blanton being a backup safety, and Robinson backing up either Cook or Winfield. Alot of stuff to see this year and all i know is it can't get much worse then last year.

I don't see us as playoff bound this year but i do see us improving. With the additions this year and the additions we will have in 2013 i believe that we could start contending as early as 2013. We are starting to see a Vikings team that is built for the future and im liking what i see so far. SKOL VIKINGS! Thanks everyone for reading and please feel free to comment with any thoughts you may have.