This is a concept that started with our outstanding Cleveland Browns blog, Dawgs by Nature, and something that I'm ripping off borrowing for this site. I decided to wait until the mid-point of the season to break them out, though.
This should spur a little debate, if nothing else. Basically, it's a ranking of the play of everyone on the roster this season. Here's what I've got.
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Rank | Player | Comment |
1 | Adrian Peterson, RB | Well, so far this season, he's. . .you know, I really don't think I need to justify this one. |
2 | E.J. Henderson, LB | My vote for Vikings' defensive MVP. An absolute beast against the run, and his coverage skills have gotten better. |
3 | Kevin Williams, DT | Best in the league at his position, yet only the third best player in Minnesota. Goes to show that, yes, this team has talent after all. |
4 | Steve Hutchinson, G | Seems to have finally gotten the hang of the "zone blocking" thing, and opposing defensive linemen are paying the price. |
5 | Pat Williams, DT | Let he who hath understanding reckon the number of the beast, for it is a human number. Its number. . .is 94. |
6 | Matt Birk, C | Savvy veteran is as good at making line calls as any center in the league, and it shows. And he went to Harvard. |
7 | Chris Kluwe, P | I'm almost loathe to put a punter this high, but Kluwe has been pretty outstanding this season. The Vikings need to play field position football, and Kluwe really helps them to do that. |
8 | Darren Sharper, S | It still tickles me that the greatest safety in Green Bay history is still starting. . .and playing at a pretty high level. . .for the Beloved Purple. He may have lost a step, but 95% of the time you really can't tell. |
9 | Antoine Winfield, CB | His coverage skills may have taken a bit of a hit, but there's no better run support corner in the league than 'Toine. I personally wouldn't be surprised to see him moved to safety in the very near future. |
10 | Bryant McKinnie, OT | Yeah, he's still susceptible to the speed rush. But his run blocking skills have really improved. . .and if you don't believe me, I'm sure Adrian Peterson will vouch for him. |
11 | Ben Leber, LB | Leber's nickname should be "XM Radio," because it seems like he's everywhere all the time. |
12 | Kenechi Udeze, DE | Yeah, we gave BKU a hard time after going 0-for-2006 in the sack department. Don't look now, but he currently leads the Vikings in sacks (4.0) and is still solid against the run. |
13 | Chester Taylor, RB | We're quick to forget that in 2006, this offense was the Chester Taylor Show. But he's taken the Adrian Peterson phenomenon in stride. . .oh, and is still averaging 4.6 yards a carry when called upon. |
14 | Brian Robison, DE | The rookie from Texas has been a part of an improved Vikings' pass rush, and currently ranks second on the Vikings AND among NFL rookies in sacks (3.5) |
15 | Ray Edwards, DE | I really could have put Robison and Edwards in either order. But the second-year man from Purdue has been a big part of the pass rush, too. |
16 | Visanthe Shiancoe, TE | Still overpaid, but is proving to be a reliable target when called upon. Now, if only Tarvaris Jackson knew he was alive. |
17 | Sidney Rice, WR | For a guy that should be playing in his junior (not senior, junior) season at South Carolina, he's asserted himself pretty well. |
18 | Dwight Smith, S | Has gotten toasted plenty of times this year (see the last 3 minutes of the Chicago game), but has made some fine plays, too. |
19 | Chad Greenway, LB | Shows good energy and a nose for the ball, but has gotten beaten in coverage plenty of times. |
20 | Tony Richardson, FB | Has been effective when called upon. In this offense, that's pretty good. |
21 | Cedric Griffin, CB | Speaking of getting beaten in coverage, Griffin hasn't taken quite the step forward that I had hoped he would this year. |
22 | Ryan Longwell, K | Still one of the most accurate kickers in the league, and still has the range, too. Check out the last play of the Chicago game for proof. |
23 | Jim Kleinsasser, TE | His pass-catching skills have basically evaporated, and he isn't quite the run blocker he once was, but he's still very good. |
24 | Anthony Herrera, G | The offensive line play improved quite a bit once he was given the starting spot at RG. |
25 | Brooks Bollinger, QB | Yes, I've finally hit a QB. Bollinger looked terrible in the pre-season, but has looked like Minnesota's best QB to this point. . .which, I'll admit, is a lot like being the best shortstop in Norway. |
26 | Heath Farwell, LB | Don't see him much, other than on special teams, but he seems to be in on every special teams play. |
27 | Bobby Wade, WR | Never met a punt that he couldn't fair catch. |
28 | Tank Williams, S | Filled in ably for Dwight Smith in the games he was out. Still a great hitter from the S spot, too. |
29 | Troy Williamson, WR | I'm still holding out hope for this kid. All that speed, and it looks like his hands HAVE improved, but he may never be more than a #3 WR. Damn shame, too, because nobody works harder than Troy Williamson. |
30 | Dontarrious Thomas, LB | See him on special teams every once in a while, but honestly, there are times that I forget he's even on the roster. |
31 | Spencer Johnson, DT | Seems like he's been on this team for about 10 years, even though it's only his 4th NFL season. A capable backup for the law firm of Williams & Williams. |
32 | Marcus McCauley, CB | Like Griffin, has gotten beaten a few times (most notably in the Green Bay game), but has shown a lot of potential. He's a keeper. |
33 | Charles Gordon, CB | Hasn't gotten much playing time this year, but hasn't been terrible when he has. Which is good. |
34 | Vinny Ciurciu, LB | Almost strictly a special teamer like Farwell, but much less visible. Which, considering what we paid him this off-season, is a shame. |
35 | Mewelde Moore, RB | Are we not men? We are MeMo! He'd be better if he could actually, you know, get on the field. |
36 | Tarvaris Jackson, QB | Yep, way down here for T-Jack. I don't know what it says about the kid that, had Ryan Longwell's field goal attempt in Detroit been 6" to the right, Jackson would be 4-1 as a starter this year. Really unsure about his future at this point. |
37 | Naufahu Tahi, FB | Given the nod over Jeff Dugan because his name is more fun to say. |
38 | Jeff Dugan, FB | See above. |
39 | Aundrae Allison, WR | Outside of the major gaffe in Kansas City, has proven to be a pretty good returner. I do wish he could get more snaps at WR, though. |
40 | Robert Ferguson, WR | Wasn't a big fan of the signing when it was made. . .and Fergy hasn't done much to change my mind. |
41 | Cullen Loeffler, LS | Hey, I don't remember any bad snaps this year, do you? Let's show the guy some love. |
42 | Kelly Holcomb, QB | He's this far down because. . .well, he's not THAT good, and because I really don't think he has a place in Minnesota after this year. |
43 | Ryan Cook, OT | Always good for a couple of dumb penalties every game. Still a waste of a second-round pick, in my opinion. |
44 | Mike Doss, S | Wasn't he supposed to help our depth? He really hasn't done a hell of a lot this year. |
45 | Fred Evans, DT | DON'T TAZE HIM, BRO!! (Don't groan, you knew it was coming.) |
46 | Artis Hicks, G | Single-handedly killing drives in the red zone since 2006. |
47 | Jayme Mitchell, DE | Doesn't see the field much. Can't say anything about him, really. |
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Rank | Player | Comment |
NA | Marcus Johnson, G | If you can't even beat out Ryan Cook, you're not worthy of a comment. |
NA | Garrett Mills, TE | Yeah, we stole him from New England. Well, "stole" might be the wrong word. A "steal" might actually "play." |
NA | Erasmus James, DE | Can we get this guy to stay healthy for five minutes, please? |
NA | Darrion Scott, DE | Lost year for Scott, and at the worst possible time. . .he's a free agent at the end of the year. |
NA | Martin Nance, WR | Would love to see him get a shot, but I don't know if he'll ever make it off the practice squad with all the talent we have at WR (end sarcasm here). |
NA | Joel Filani, WR | Don't know much about him. |
NA | Chase Johnson, OT | Hasn't seen the field. |
NA | Brian Daniels, G | Hasn't seen the field. |
NA | Koy Detmer, QB | Has been on the roster for approximately five minutes. Really, nothing to see here. |
NA | Ronyell Whitaker, CB | Cut to make room for Detmer. . .should have been sponsored by Quizno's. . .mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, TOASTY! |
What say you, ladies and gentlemen?
[editor's note, by Gonzo]
CRAP, I forgot Darren Sharper. I'll edit him in when I get home from work tonight. He'll be in the Top 10 someplace. I just can't believe I left him off.
Update [2007-11-7 18:49:20 by Gonzo]:
Crisis averted. . .Sharper is up there now. Again, I apologize to #42.