/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/46484202/GettyImages-458335988.0.jpg)
"A flute with no holes. . .is not a flute. And a donut without a hole. . .is a danish." - Ty Webb, amateur golfer and philosopher
Yes, it is National Donut Day (as you've no doubt already learned if you've spent more than 30 seconds on social media today), and what better topic for National Donut Day than holes. . .specifically, holes on the Minnesota Vikings' roster and which one concerns you the most.
As it stands right now, I have a few concerns with the Vikings' roster, as I'm sure we all do. Which is the biggest concern? Well, here's one person's perspective on it.
1) Offensive line - On the bright side, 60% of the offensive line appears to be in pretty good shape, with the return of right left guard Brandon Fusco and right tackle Phil Loadholt and the continued excellence of center John Sullivan. The other 40%? Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. . .that's an issue. We know that we've heard reports about the sort of shape left tackle Matt Kalil is in, but May and June in the NFL are basically "I'm in the best shape I've ever been in" season. And with Fusco's move to left guard, there appears to be a bit of a free-for-all at the right guard spot, with the leaders right now appearing to be between "redshirted" second-year player David Yankey and rookie T.J. Clemmings. Those two concerns make the offensive line the biggest hole on the Vikings' roster at this point. . .but if they get the right answers to their questions, this offense is going to be sneaky good in 2015.
2) Special teams - We have faith that Blair Walsh will bounce back, because he's been really good since the Vikings drafted him. The rest of the special teams? Well, Cullen Loeffler was ranked as the NFL's worst special teams player in 2014 by Pro Football Focus, and he has competition in camp in the form of Kevin McDermott. Jeff Locke was ranked as PFF's worst punter and, to this point, has not been presented with any competition. Not only that, but last year on kick returns, Cordarrelle Patterson wasn't CORDARRELLE PATTERSON like he was at the end of 2013. While we've heard. . .again. . .about how hard he's worked this offseason, we have to see how he's going to bounce back when the rubber meets the road. Add it all up, and I'm not sure if folks are as worried about the special teams on this roster as they probably should be. They're not 2008 Vikings' special teams bad or anything, but I think it's still a significant issue.
3) Linebacker - Anthony Barr is entrenched at one linebacker spot. His college teammate, Eric Kendricks, appears to have a lock on the middle linebacker spot. The third linebacker spot? Well, the team brought Chad Greenway back for one more season in purple, and nobody knows for sure what role he's going to play in the team's defense. You'd have to assume it would be a reduced role, but who knows how much? And where does that leave players like Gerald Hodges and Audie Cole, both of whom showed some pretty serious flashes last season? I think that Barr and Kendricks are going to be the guys on the field for the Vikings in sub-packages, so this isn't quite as big a concern as it possibly could be (and why I placed it below special teams on the list), but it's still a worry in any case.
There are other holes than on the Vikings' current roster, but in my opinion, those are the three biggest ones.
What do you think is the most glaring hole on the Minnesota Vikings' roster at this point in the offseason?